“Exudes Calmness and Kindness” is the hidden fresco of the last Byzantine Emperor found in a Greek monastery.

Photo Credit (Pixeles)

The earliest portrait of Constantine XI Phalaiologos, the last Byzantine Emperor, was discovered in Greece.

Found at a monastery that Constantine’s brothers had formerly supported, it depicts the man painted in his likeness rather than in accordance with Imperial tradition and dates to the fall of the great empire in the fifteenth century.

Growing up at or close to the town of Mystras, south of the monastery, which he ruled for five years before ascending to the throne in 1449, Constantine was born in Aigialeia, in the Achaea area of Western Greece.

The Greek Ministry of Culture said in a statement that it is neither idealistic nor standardised as a portrait.

It is a genuine painting that faithfully captures the physiognomic traits of the final Byzantine monarch. It says, “He is a man of earth, a mature individual, with a slim face and distinctive features, who radiates peace and goodwill.”

The statement goes on to explain that his garment would have most likely been purple with gold embroidery and embellished with medals that feature double-headed eagles with crowns between their heads, which are emblems of the Palaiologos family.

Constantine the XI was not only the last member of the Phalaiologos household to rule in Constantinople but also the last Byzantine royal of any house to rule, as Constantine vanished from history when Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks. The Phalaiologos household produced Byzantine rulers for about 200 years.

ADDITIONAL HISTORICAL PAINTINGS FOUND: An Ancient Peruvian Queen May Have Belonged to the Decorative Throne Room Discovered

Given that Constantine XI ruled for only four years, the picture is quite uncommon even among imperial Byzantine murals.

Constantine’s picture was discovered as a base layer and concealed from view by the preservationists who initially recognised the old frescoes.