Kythira's Byzantine Heritage: The Church of St Demetrius in Pourko // The Wheel. - 2016. - №7. - P. 35-42 (original) (raw)
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N.IOANNIDOU-Church of Taxiarchis Michael, Andros (Greece), history, visualizations and symbolism
Abstract, 2010
Interim Meeting of Five ICOM-CC Working Groups, that is organized in collaboration with the Istituto Superiore per la Conservazione e il Restauro (Rome),23 – 25 March, 2010 Byzantine church of Taxiarchis Michael in the island of Andros:science made visible through symbolism and allegories “Harmonia est Discordia concors: Harmony and discord as preserved in restoration works” With the permission of the competent 2nd Ephory of Byzantine Antiquities (Greece) One important byzantine monuments is the church of Taxiarchis Michail built in 1158, is to be sited in the island of Andros (north-west Aegean sea) at “Messarià” that was the medieval both Byzantine and Venetian capital of the island. The church located at the island of Andros a crossroad of the Byzantine Empire on the road to Italy and Constantinople, not far from Athens, may itself reveal certain historical facts and symbolisms. Despite the medieval and picturesque aspect of the church, the accurate architectural survey revealed its harmonious proportions and ratios between the whole and its elements. The cross-in square plan domed church of Taxiarchis Michael dates from 12th century and its model is due to the Byzantine Renaissance both of the House of Komninoi and of Macedonians. This church is among the few middle byzantine churches that we know the patrons and the owners and the dates of construction through 4 dedicatory inscriptions saved in loco at the church. As it derives from the 1st inscription, the sponsors of the construction of the church were Konstantinos Monastiriotis (Κωνσταντίνος Μοναστηριώτης) and his wife Eirini daughter of Prasinos), that belonged to noble families of the island. The design of the initial church and of the successive historical phases and the use of the appropriate lithic materials were no doubt intended to focus to the importance of the church. The dimensions of the church are multiples of number (3) or they have among them the following relations 1:2, 2:3, 3:4, 8:9, that go back to Pythagoras and Platon theories about Universe. Middle byzantine scholars continued being occupied by those theories about Universe Harmony Meanwhile several symbols have been incorporated on the church, though symbols in art are humans’ oldest form of visual communication. Artists have incorporated symbols into their work since humans first began to delve into the world of visual expression and they painted on cave walls. During later times, those unable to read could still follow religious events by looking at and understanding the After all, following some restoration examples, our purpose is to think over restoration project-restoration works as preserving the original “harmony and discord” coexisting in many Byzantine, renaissance and modern monuments.
The religious architecture in the island of Santorini
— The interesting history of Santorini after the Byzantine era and the diverse religious activities that took place in its grounds, endowed the island with a unique religious architecture. The Venetian era, (13 th c.-16 th c.), bonds Santorini to the Duchy of Naxos, and leaves a legacy of a few but important samples of churches. Venetocracy is succeeded by the Ottoman era, a turbulent period, during which, both catholic and orthodox Christians, despite the Ottoman's prohibitions, express their power and spirituality with both impressive and humble temples. The idea of the revival of the Modern Greek State emerges after the signing of the Treaty of Kucuk Kaynarca in 1774 and is vividly expressed through the construction of imposing and technologically innovative orthodox churches. These activities take place at the same time with those of the many missionary Orders which import a radiant religious architecture in the heart of the island. The aim of this paper is the study and documentation of the evolution of the architecture and construction of Santorini's religious buildings, by means of a. the division of the long period between 1207 – 20 th c. in the Venetian, the Ottoman and the Modern Greek period, b. the in situ visit and documentation of the existent churches of the island, c. the gathering of written resources (pictures, drawings) and d. the historical documentation of each church under study [1]. All the religious buildings have been analyzed in terms of their architecture. The results of this study offer a panorama of Santorini's religious architecture, which vividly imprints the island's religious and social history. 1 K. RITZOULI: The evolution of the architecture and building construction of Santorini from Venetocracy (1204) until the earthquake of 1956. Phd. Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. The 4 th Crusade in 1204 signals the beginning of the Venetian period in southern Aegean. Santorini, a small byzantine orthodox island, is incorporated in the " Duchy of Naxos " , ruled by the catholic Venetian Duke Marco Sanudo, for more than 300 years. During that period, the two civilizations begin to interact, creating a most impressive social and religious society, elements of which are traced up until today in the island's social and religious structure and built environment. The samples of church constructions deriving from that period are very few and restricted within the limits of the 5 Venetian castles of Santorini. A comparison between those and the architecture of the capital of the Duchy of Naxos, the " Kastro " [1], offers very interesting results in terms of religious buildings typology and construction techniques. The Venetian era is succeeded by the Ottoman during the 16 th c. During that period, the Aegean becomes an " Ottoman lake " [2]. Inside Santorini's microcosm the enmity between the Ottomans and the Venetians, " assists " the orthodox doctrine to gain power against the catholic. Many churches are being built for both sides, but the orthodox seem to gain ground. However, the construction techniques and the architecture show no evident differences in both doctrines. The signing of the Treaty of Kucuk Kaynarca in 1774 becomes an important turning point that boosts Santorini's economy. That period is characterized by the facilitation of the trade from the Mediterranean basin to the Black Sea, thanks to the aid of the Russians and the superiority of the Greek crews' seamanship. The captains bring wealth and ideas from abroad, widening the cultural horizons in the small island. At the same time the idea of the revival of the Modern Greek State, interweaved with the orthodox Doctrine, is strengthened and expressed with the construction of superior religious architecture. The Dominican Order, the Sisters of Mercy and the Lazarists are the most important catholic Orders that have continuous and intense presence and action on the island, producing an impressing religious architectural core in the capital of Santorini (Fira). This complex historical background produced an impressive architectural building stock, which, above all, incorporated innovative building ideas and construction methods, is located and recorded in this paper. II. THE CHURCHES DURING THE 1 ST PERIOD: 1207-1537 The identification and dating of churches during the Venetian rule in Santorini and Naxos-the capital of the Duchy of the Archipel-is a demanding task, which combines historical resources, observation and a broad study of the wider region. A major difficulty in dating arises from the lack of historical and bibliographical data, to suggest that the temples which theoretically belong to the Venetian period have not already existed as Byzantine. The few temples that are carefully selected in this paper functioned as
Revue des Études Byzantines 76, 2018
One of the most interesting Byzantine monuments of Corinthia is the thirteenth-century church of Saint Nicholas at Malagari, the katholikon of a ruined Byzantine monastery, with wall-paintings dated to the thirteenth century, after 1260. In the iconographic programme of the narthex have been included the funerary representations of two monks, Sophronios and Dionysios Kalozoes, members of the same family, most probably a father and son. Sophronios was a high-ranking monk and made a donation to the monastery which can be connected to the expansion of the katholikon to the west and its decoration with wall-paintings, whereas Dionysios was a low-ranking monk. Both of them were buried in the narthex of the katholikon. The two monks, as well as their last name Kalozoes, are recorded here for the first time.
J. Crow and D. Hill (eds.), Naxos and the Byzantine Aegean: Insular Responses to Regional Change, 2018
A small church was excavated on top of the islet Dhaskalio, off Keros, in 1963. Excavation in 2006-2008 yielded ceramic and glass finds datable towards the end of the Early Byzantine period, which attest to the period of use of the church. The paper presents these finds and discusses the role of the church on this barren and remote island, including its possible function as a marker for navigation.
2017
The interesting history of Santorini after the Byzantine era and the diverse religious activities that took place in its grounds endowed the island with a unique ecclesiastical architecture. The Venetian era (thirteenth to sixteenth century) bonds Santorini to the Duchy of Naxos and leaves a legacy of a few but important samples of churches. Venetocracy is succeeded by the Ottoman era, a turbulent period, during which both catholic and orthodox Christians, despite the Ottoman’s prohibitions, express their power and spirituality with both impressive and humble temples. The idea of the Modern Greek state’s revival emerges after the Treaty of Kucuk Kaynarca in 1774 and is vividly expressed through the construction of imposing orthodox churches. These activities take place at the same time with those of the missionary orders which import a radiant religious architecture in the heart of the island. The aim of this paper is the study and documentation of Santorini’s ecclesiastical archite...
B. Poulsen, P. Pedersen and J. Lund (eds), Karia and the Dodecanese. Cultural Interrelations in the Southeast Aegean II, Early Hellenistic to Early Byzantine, Oxford 2021, 2021
The island of Kalymnos, situated barely ten miles off the coastline of Karia, boasts a plethora of Early Christian monuments. In the fertile valley of Vathy, the ruins of a settlement dominate the deep bay, marking the importance of the island in the commercial sea routes of the Byzantine Empire. The church of Saint Kerykos, once a three-aisled basilica, still preserves some remarkable remnants of its initial decoration. These frescoes of exquisite quality were attributed to the period after Iconoclasm. This essay will support a different view: that they are clearly representative samples of Early Christian painting; at the same time we will look for possible connections with contemporary wall paintings in the adjacent region of Karia and more specifically with the murals of the church of Holy Apostles at Kuçuk Tavşan Adasi – an islet off the Bodrum Peninsula – which scholars date to the 6th century.