Charles Diehl: Holder of the First Chair of Byzantine History at the Sorbonne
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Byzantine history, Charles Diehl, Sorbonne, Byzantine Studies, Byzantine art, archaeology, art history, Paul Perdrizet, University of Lyon, International Congress of Byzantine Studies, Bucharest, Byzantine mosaics, Southern Italy, classical archaeology, University of Paris, photographic projections, Greek and Roman archaeology, Perdrizet Archives, APP XXI, Byzantine visual art, Saint-Luc en Phocide, Nicaea, Saint Luke in Phocis, Byzantine Mosaics of Nicaea, Ministry subsidies, archaeology museum, casts collection, Faculty of Letters, Lyon, Paris, Byzantine monuments, historical preservation, art historical research, academic teaching, Byzantine heritage, French academia, historical studies, art historical studies, Byzantine culture, Byzantine archaeology, Sorbonne University, University of Paris faculty, Byzantine art history, Byzantine archaeology course.
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Discover the pioneering work of Charles Diehl, the first professor of Byzantine history at the Sorbonne, who revolutionized the field with his groundbreaking research and captivating lectures. In 1907, Diehl's appointment as professor of Byzantine history at the Sorbonne marked a significant milestone, freeing the chair of ancient history from the faculty of letters in Lyon. With his expertise in Byzantine art and archaeology, Diehl published numerous influential works, including "L'église et les mosaïques du couvent de Saint-Luc en Phocide" (1889) and "Mosaïques byzantines de Nicée" (1892). As a renowned lecturer, Diehl utilized innovative photographic projections to bring his subjects to life, making Byzantine art and history accessible to a wider audience. Explore Diehl's remarkable contributions to the field of Byzantine studies and uncover the significance of his work, captured in a rare 115 x 160 mm photographic print preserved in the Perdrizet Archives at the University of Paris.
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[...] Holder of the first chair of Byzantine history at the Sorbonne - Samuel Provost - Translation into English Holder of the first chair of Byzantine history at the Sorbonne Charles Diehl in the midst of congressists of the 1st International Congress of Byzantine Studies, Bucharest, April 1924. Print on paper of a silver halide photograph x 160 mm, University of Paris, Perdrizet Archives, APP XXI. Only the Sorbonne can offer Charles Diehl the opportunity to teach his scientific specialty, while Byzantine studies are still embryonic in France: in 1899, he is in charge of a complementary course and leaves Paris while remaining the holder of his chair. [...]
[...] This position had been held by the ancient History department at the University of Lyon until his official appointment as a professor of Byzantine History at the Sorbonne in 1907; two years later, it became the chair of Archaeology and Art history for Paul Perdrizet. Diehl was the driving force behind the success of the first Classical archaeology course offered by the Paris faculty. His outstanding lecturing abilities, together with his creative use of photographic projections of monuments and archeological sites, were further boosted by his writing skills. [...]
[...] This attitude was also evident in his choice, made in 1888, to concentrate on obtaining ministry subsidies rather than gradually building a collection of casts, even in the face of significant obstacles in creating a future archaeology museum. Diehl produced many works on Byzantine art during his fourteen years as a teacher in Paris. These included "The Church and the Mosaics of the Convent of Saint Luke in Phocis" (1889), which for a long time was the only thorough examination of this important monastery, and "Byzantine Mosaics of Nicaea" (1892), in addition to several studies on the monuments of southern Italy. [...]
[...] During the fourteen years of his teaching in Paris, Diehl multiplied the publications of Byzantine art, such as L'église et les mosaïques du couvent de Saint-Luc en Phocide (1889), which remained for a long time the only monograph on this important monastery, or again the Mosaïques byzantines de Nicée (1892), as well as the entire series of his works on the monuments of Southern Italy. However, they do not seem to have given rise to conferences, as if Byzantine pictorial art was a subject too exotic for his audience. Samuel PROVOST Holder of the first chair of Byzantine history at the Sorbonne: One of the guests at the First International Congress of Byzantine Studies, held in Bucharest in April 1924, was Charles Diehl. [...]
