Abstract

The occurrence of patronage in Cappadocia is briefly laid out over a period of eight centuries (6th – 13th).

Five chronological phases are discerned, and concise reference is made to the historical circumstances in each, which more or less influence conditions of patronage.

How patronage evolves is illustrated through the examination of various parameters: references to patronage in inscriptions or portraits, the social status of donors and supplicants the contribution of monastic or church circles, the relationship to the administrative center.

Furthermore, the geographical distribution of the monuments in which evidence of patronage activity survives is discussed to the degree that it helps in forming conclusions.