Katzion, tribute of Bishop Vissarion Pavlovich, year 1735

An elaborate censer (height 30,6 cm), which, according to a Slavonic inscription on the rim of its vessel, was dedicated in 1735 to the Monastery by Vissarion Pavlovic, bishop of Batska, Szeged and Itzár. A second inscription on the lower surface of its base, written in Greek, informs us that the censer is the work of the goldsmith Georgios Vrysas. The censer is made of gilded silver. It has a wide and flat handle, in the form of a large leaf, which folds at its free end and ends in a cast dragon's head. Three hammered tiles are attached to its upper surface. The middle one depicts the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, to whom the catholicon of the Vatopedi Monastery is dedicated. The other two trapezoidal tiles bear a floral decoration, rendered with enamel and a wire technique, in the type of floral baroque prevalent in 18th-century silversmithing. The remaining surface of the handle is decorated with low bulges and precious or semi-precious stones. Bells hang from its lower part and, approximately midway along its length, it is joined by a vertically placed cylindrical and undecorated support handle. The katzi container has a foot with a circular base and a perforated cover in the shape of a conical architecture. At the point where the censer joins the horizontal handle are two small dragon heads.