Presentation of Christ in the Temple (Hypapante)

A devotional icon of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple, preserved from the Church of Hagia Sophia within Alaya Castle. The work combines a painted support with a later, overpainted silver revetment, decorated with finely worked repoussé and hammered details.
The scene follows the established iconographic type: the Virgin Mary, Symeon the God-receiver, Joseph, and the Prophetess Anna are depicted around the sanctuary, with rich vegetal ornament and geometric motifs emphasising the ritual character of the composition. In the lower band, additional saintly figures are rendered, integrated into the same silver covering.
The icon is a characteristic example of late 19th-century Asia Minor ecclesiastical metalwork, showing influences associated with workshops of Cappadocia and Cilicia.