The monastery of Daphni
Daphni Monastery
is built on an exceptional site at the western entrance to the Attica Basin,
on the edge of the forest at Chaidari. It is situated approximately halfway along
the Sacred Way
leading from Athens
to Eleusis, probably
on the site of the sanctuary of Apollo Daphnaios. The monastery is protected by
a strong, square defensive wall with battlements, square towers and two gates.
The surrounding wall encloses the catholicon , which is dedicated to the Dormition
of the Virgin Mary, as well as the remains of the cells and the other
buildings, such as the kitchens and refectory.
As a large and
wealthy institution, the monastery may owe its foundation to circles in the
imperial court. That being said, the donator’s identity and the precise
foundation date remain unknown, since no inscription or other evidence yielding
definitive information has yet been found. The catholicon or principal
monastery church dates to the second half of the 11th century, and
is of the octagonal type found in mainland Greece, without galleries , but with
a narthex and more recent two-storey portico to the west. Sixteen single-lobed
windows in the drum of the dome cast light evenly into the church interior.
Thanks to the absence of galleries, from the outside the building appears to
rise like a pyramid to the top of the dome. The walls were built of cloisonné
masonry ; large white blocks of stone were used from the ground up to window
level, laid in a cross formation typical of the mid-Byzantine tradition in Greece proper. The ceramoplastic decoration is limited to a
band of meanders in the upper section of the sanctuary apse, dogtooth bands
around the window arches and above the cornice, and limited use of kufic
ornaments .
An open
portico added to the western part of the church in the early 12th century
was later built up and converted into an exonarthex . Its appearance was altered
by Cistercian monks, to whom Otto de la Roche, Duke of Athens, granted the
monastery in 1207. Lancet windows typical of western architecture have thus
survived in the facade, probably in place of what were originally Byzantine
arches. At the same time, the crypt below the narthex was converted into a
mausoleum for the dukes of Athens,
and a western-type monastery cloister consisting of a square courtyard with
galleries was built to the south. When Athens
was taken by the Ottoman Turks in 1458 the monastery was returned to Orthodox
monks. In Late Byzantine times a peculiar north-oriented chapel was constructed
to the west of the exonarthex.
In 1840, following
the Greek revolution, the monastery lost its community and was abandoned, only
to be pressed into service as a public lunatic asylum. In the late 19th
century continuous earthquakes put the catholicon at risk of collapse. Repair work
followed, during which the dome was replaced and the mosaics repaired by
Italian restorers. Some depictions were moved from their original position
during relaying, while others were added to. The interior of the catholicon was
laid out in the manner well known in the renowned buildings of Constantinople, with (now lost) marble revetments and
sculpture decoration in the lower section of the church, and mosaics in the
upper section.
The
exceptional set of mosaics follows the iconographic programme established after
the end of the iconoclast controversy , reflecting new dogmatic beliefs centred
on the Incarnation of the Lord. The austere figure of the Pantocrator rendered
in metal thus dominates the dome, surrounded by prophets in the drum. The
sanctuary niche has a depiction of the Virgin Mary enthroned, accompanied by
archangels. Scenes from the Christological cycle are rendered on the squinches ,
the arches and the surfaces of the cross arms, together with saints and prelates
at other points in the church. The iconographic programme is rounded off in the
narthex with scenes from the Passion Cycle and the life of Virgin Mary. All the
figures are represented in the right proportions, displaying restrained
movement, while the harmony and symmetry of the compositions point to art strongly
rooted in the classic tradition. Typical of this is the posture adopted by the prophets
in the drum of the dome , which is reminiscent of ancient philosophers,
as well as the graceful female figures in the narthex compositions. The
Crucifixion scene in the church’s northern cross-arm renders the grief on the
faces of the Virgin Mary and John in a unique manner. The flawless workmanship
displayed in the church decoration point to a founder of considerable means, and
artists trained in a Constantinople workshop.
These
exquisite mosaics date to somewhere between the 10th and late 11th
century rank; in terms of quality they rank among the masterpieces of Byzantine
art. Their classicistic character has recently led them to being assigned to
the reign of
Constantine VII
Porphyrogenitus
(913-959), though the general consensus is that they date to the late 11th
century.
The monument
has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List (WHL) since 1990.
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