ABSTRACT
Larger portions of mural paintings were discovered on the east wall of the south transept, close to the present-day Greek Orthodox altar of Saint Nicholas. As pointed out by the analysis of stylistic features, the paintings were made by different hands and in different moments in a timespan going from 1130 to the achievement of the mosaic decoration in 1169. Some aspects of the decoration can be better understood if we consider the kinetic approach of ancient beholders to the painted images. Upon entering the nave, they were supposed to simultaneously glance at the murals on both rows of columns, to their left and right. Possibly, the present-day 19th-century Greek wall paintings displaying saints on the piers joining the choir replaced older mural icons from the Crusader period. The columns of the central row below the saints’ mural icons, so that they may be seen and recognised by their fellow citizens upon entering the church.
