ΒΧΜ

The central figure of St George the Cappadocian on the front is in relief, and scenes from his life are painted in panels around the flat frame, which is integral with the wood of the icon. On the back female saints are depicted. The western elements that can be seen on the front, such as the coat-of-arms on the saint’s shield, attest to the influence exercised by the Frankish conquest of 1204 on the art of the eastern Mediterranean. This double-sided icon, which dates in the mid-13th c., is a combination of wood-carving and painting unique in Byzantine art.