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The church of Agios Demetrios
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The cathedral of St. Demetriοs is located in the northeastern section of the Lower Town in Mystras, next to parts of the external fortifications. It is the oldest church in Mystras, serving as the city’s cathedral and the seat of the Bishop of Lacedaemon from the time it was rebuilt. Tradition has it that in 1449 it hosted the coronation of the last Byzantine emperor, Constantine XI Palaeologus, then Despot of Mystras.

The church was probably built between 1263 (;)  and 1272 by Bishop Eugene, who is depicted on the frescoes in the diakonikon , and in its original form was a three-aisled basilica . Between 1286 and 1315 a narthex and a gallery were probably added to the west. Nicephorus Moschopoulos was bishop at the time (1291/2-1311/2), as evidenced by three surviving inscriptions which mention him and his brother Aaron. In the 15th century Bishop Matthew added a tribune , in an attempt to adapt the church’s plan to that of Aphentiko. The church owes its typological peculiarity to this drastic intervention, combining a basilica on the ground floor with a composite four-column cross-in-square church above. However, Matthew‘s extension created a heavy building of clumsy proportions, which the subsequent addition of galleries and a bell tower failed to improve. Worse still, it led to the partial destruction of the fine wall paintings in the original basilica, decapitating figures in the Christological cycle in the central nave. The surviving sections manifest diversity in performance and stylistic features, indicating that they were completed in stages.

The first phase (1272-1288) included the frescoes in the half-dome of the sanctuary apse , showing the Virgin Mary and a (deliberately destroyed) prelate at prayer, as well as most of the frescos in the prothesis , in the north aisle dedicated to Saint Demetrios, in the diaconicon and in the greater part of the south aisle, which is dedicated to the Unmercenary Saints. The diaconicon has a noteworthy depiction of the Preparation of the Throne and Christ with angels, above the figure of an All-Merciful Christ, which reveal the high theological and artistic standards of the time. The second phase (1291/2-1315) is associated with the work of Nicephorus, and inclues the decapitated figures in the Christological cycle in the nave, the figures in the western section of the south aisle, and an impressive Second Coming alongside Ecumenical Councils in the narthex. The burial representations of four Bishops on the outer north wall of the church probably derive from the time of Matthew.

The surviving sculptural decorations largely consist of reused material. The most outstanding of these are the sculpted frames around icon stands on the sanctuary pillars , which date to the late 12th century and belong to the set of frieze fragments in Agia Sophia and the Museum of Mystra. On the other hand, the beveled moulding with floral motifs and monogrammed medals dates to the time of Bishop Matthew.  


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