The church of Agioi Anargyroi
The church of Agioi Anargyroi
(the Unmercenary Saints) stands on the steep hillside on the north side of the
city of Kastoria.
It is a three-aisled basilica with narthex, which initially had a
triple vaulted roof dating to the 10th -11th century. On
the inside the naves are separated by walls punctuated by asymmetric arched
openings. The central nave is wider and higher than the other two, ending in a
semicircular conch to the east. The conches of the side naves are
the same shape but smaller. The church is illuminated by a few double light
windows in the upper wall of the central nave - two on each of the long
sides, and one in each of the short sides (east and west). The masonry consists
of irregular stones alternating with red tiles arranged in patterns (diamonds,
suns, trees and dogtooth courses). These are combined with mortar to create an aesthetically
pleasing effect.
Agioi Anargyroi is the only church in
Kastoria to have sculpture decoration, featuring carved rosettes, crosses, animals
and stars in circles. Inside the church there are also sections of the marble templon
assembled during restoration work.
The interior is decorated with successive
layers of exquisite wall paintings. The scenes in the first layer, dating
to around 1000 AD, are mainly visible on parts of the narthex, where
earlier interventions brought to light depictions of Saints Basil and Nicholas,
Saints Constantine and Helena, and the figure of the deceased Constantine. These representations are characterized
by intensely outlined faces, linear characteristics, a limited number of
colours for rendering figures and a lack of volume.
The second layer wall paintings date
to the second half of the 12th century. According to inscriptions in
various parts of the church and the dedicatory representation in the north
nave, they were sponsored by Theodore Lemniotes and his wife Anna Radene, who renovated
the church and dedicated it to Agioi Anargyroi (the Unmercenary Saints),
calling on them to intercede for their personal health. Information from the
founders’ mural and another scene in the south nave reveal that they took
monastic vows - Theodore Lemniotes took the name brother Theophilus Lemnos.
The iconographic programme in the second
layer features scenes from Dodecaorton and the Passion of Christ
in the nave, the Eucharist in the sanctuary, and the lives and martyrdoms of
saints in the side naves. Marked differences in style suggest that two artists
with differing concepts of art worked in the nave. In the first case the saints
are rendered in a hieratic stance, stern of expression, with oval faces, large
round eyes and arched eyebrows.
The garments are rich, painted in a variety of colours,
with folds that follow the movements of the body. This painter’s depictions are
representative of “dynamic Comnenian style” and recall the art in Agios
Georgios at Kourbinovo. In contrast, the slightly earlier figures attributed to
the second artist are rigid and expressionless, with linear faces and clothing folds.
The main figures appear disproportionately larger than the minor ones, and the
scenes are almost entirely devoid of any surrounding detail (buildings or
landscape). A third artist painted the surfaces of the narthex in the
monumental tradition of late Comnenian painting. The exterior murals on the
west facade date to the same period. They depict the Supplication, the
Apostles, the Unmercenary Saints and St. Nicholas.
Glossary (8)
basilica:
type of large church, divided internally into three or more naves. The central nave was usually covered by a raised roof with windows that illuminated the space.
narthex:
oblong reception area
extending
along
the western side
of a basilica. Originally the east portico
of the atrium,
it was later
incorporated into the
church, and served
as a waiting area for catechumens, who were not allowed to
attend the Divine
Liturgy.
conch (Sanctuary niche):
Niche
in the eastern end
of a basilica. Semicircular on the inside, with a horseshoe shaped, rectangular or polygonal exterior.
double light or biforate window:
window with two openings that form an arc at the top. The openings are usually separated by mullions.
altarscreen or templon:
screen separating the
altar area
from the
rest of the
church. This
can be
of marble
or
wood,
adorned with
wall paintings
and icons depicting Christ,
the Virgin Mary, St. John
the Baptist,
the saint to
whom the church is consecrated,
the Apostles
and other saints.
wall paintings or murals:
Painted scenes on a wall or ceiling surface.
Dodecaorton:
the twelve major celebrations in the Orthodox Church associated with the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary, represented by a corresponding number of painted scenes, which have become the core of the iconographic programme in a church. These are: the Annunciation, the Nativity, the Presentation, the Baptism, the Transfiguration, the Resurrection of Lazarus, the Entry into Jerusalem, the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, the Incredulity of Thomas, the Ascension and Pentecost or the Assumption of Mary.
The Passion Cycle:
Group of works depicting the Passion of Christ in chronological order: the Last Supper, the Washing of his Feet, the Agony in the Garden, the Betrayal, the Flagellation, the Road to Calvary, the Crucifixion, the Deposition, the Lamentation, the Entombment, the Harrowing of Hell, the Appearance to the Apostles, the Doubting of Thomas.
Information Texts (0)
Bibliography (13)
1. Ορλάνδος Α., Τα βυζαντινά μνημεία της Καστοριάς, 1938
2. Τσαμίσης Π., Η Kαστοριά και τα μνημεία της, Αθήναι, 1949
3. Πελεκανίδης Σ., Καστορία. Βυζαντιναί τοιχογραφίαι, Thessaloniki, 1953
4. Pelekanidis S., I piu antichi affreschi di Kastoria, 1964
5. Μπακιρτζής Ν., Επιγραφή στους Αγ. Αναργύρους Kαστοριάς, 1971
6. Malmquist, T., Byzantine 12th Century Frescoes in Kastoria. Agioi Anargyroi and Agios Nikolaos tou Kasnitzi, Uppsala, 1979
7. Wharton-Epstein A., Middle Byzantine Churches of Kastoria: Dates and Implications, 1980
8. Kυριακούδης Ε. Ν., Ο κτήτορας του ναού των Αγίων Αναργύρων Kαστοριάς Θεόδωρος (Θεόφιλος) Λημνιώτης, 1981
9. Πελεκανίδης Σ., Χατζηδάκης Μ., Καστοριά, Athens, 1984
10. Panayiotidi Μ., La peinture monumentale en Grèce de la fin de l’Iconoclasme jusqu’à l’avènement des Comnènes (843-1081), 1986
11. Μουτσόπουλος, Νικόλαος Κ. , Εκκλησίες της Καστοριάς, 9ος–11ος αιώνας, Thessaloniki, 1992
12. Δρακοπούλου Ε., Η πόλη της Καστοριάς στη βυζαντινή και μεταβυζαντινή εποχή (12ος – 16ος αι.) Ιστορία-Τέχνη-Επιγραφές, Athens, 1997
13. Υπουργείο Πολιτισμού και Τουρισμού | Ναός Αγίων Αναργύρων Καστοριάς, http://odysseus.culture.gr/h/2/gh251.jsp?obj_id=6083&era=3&group=7
Comments (0)