Constantinople - Crete: “Nicephorus Phocas”

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mosaic: patterns or images composed of small, colored tesserae. Mosaic decoration can be applied to all the surfaces of a building: floor, walls or ceiling.

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The city: Constantinople, the capital city of the Byzantine Empire, was built on the site of the ancient Greek colony of Byzantium, on the triangular peninsula formed by the Golden Horn, the Bosporus and the Sea of Marmara. This was an excellent location that controlled trade routes linking the Aegean to the Black Sea. Emperor Constantine founded Constantinople in 330 AD as a city to rival Rome in splendour, wealth and power. The city grew fast, leading to problems of space and facilities, so Theodosius I extended it to the west by building new strong walls that protected Constantinople until the end of the Byzantine Empire. The city was laid out after Rome. A main road, the Mese Odos, linked the palace to the Golden Gate. On this road was the Forum, a circular plaza with a statue of Constantine mounted on a column, surrounded by public buildings. Theodosius I and Arcadius later built more forums decorated with their own statues. Following the Nika riots in the 6th century, Justinian adorned Constantinople with magnificent edifices, palaces, baths and public buildings. This time also saw the construction of Agia Sophia (the Holy Wisdom), the church which served as the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate throughout the Byzantine period. During the 7th and 8th centuries Constantinople faced major problems that threw it into disarray: attacks by the Avars (a siege in 674) and Arabs (attacks in 674 and 717-718); natural disasters (a powerful, destructive earthquake in 740); and epidemics (plague in 747). Limited building activity resumed in the 8th and 9th century, mainly concentrated on strengthening the city's fortifications. With the recovery of the Byzantine Empire from the 9th to the 11th century, Constantinople became the most populated city in Christendom; the majority of inhabitants were Greek-speaking, but many other ethnic groups lived alongside them, such as Jews, Armenians, Russians, Italians merchants, Arabs and mercenaries from Western Europe and Scandinavia. Many public, private and church-owned buildings were erected at the time, with an emphasis on establishing charitable institutions such as hospitals, nursing homes, orphanages and schools. Higher education flourished, thanks to the care of the state and the emergence of important scholars. This renaissance lasted until the mid-11th century, when economic problems due to poor management set in, compounded by the adverse outcome of imperial operations beyond the borders. The Crusaders left Constantinople entirely unscathed when first passing through, but in the Fourth Crusade of 1204 the Franks conquered and ransacked the city, slaughtering those inhabitants they did not take prisoner or drive out. In 1261 the city was retaken by Michael VIII Palaeologus, who rebuilt most of the monuments and the walls but proved unable to restore the city to its former splendour and glory. Enfeebled as it was, the empire was incapable of checking the advance of the Ottomans, and in 1453 Constantinople finally fell into their hands. The fall signalled the end of the empire. Nevertheless, the Byzantine intellectual tradition remained significant, as many scholars settled in the Venetian dominions of Crete and the Peloponnese, as well as in European countries, conveying Greek learning to the West.
The island: As the largest island in the Greek archipelago, with a culture all of its own, Crete has made its mark on Greek history and often determined its course. Having developed a fully fledged culture from as early as Neolithic times, Crete heralded the dawn of civilization in the wider European area. The lasting period of prosperity from 2800 to 1100 BC is associated with Minoan civilization. Irrefutable evidence of its range and splendour lies in the old and new palaces erected at Knossos, Phaistos, Malia and Zakros; in the development of important sites such as Agia Triada, Gortyn, Zominthos, Myrtos, Fournou Koryfi, etc.; in the evolution of a sophisticated, rich and vibrant art; in the commercial supremacy of the Minoans on the seas; and in the spread of their products, pottery, artefacts and artistic trends throughout the Mediterranean Basin. The collapse of the palatial system and the decline of Minoan civilization were followed by Mycenaean infiltration and the transition to the Iron Age, which in no way recalled the glories of the past. In historic times Crete may not have lost its status as trading centre, but it was relegated to the margins of the Greek world, which was thenceforth associated with the major centres of Athens, Sparta and later Macedonia. The island’s principal urban centres at that time were at Knossos, Lato, Praisos, Cydonia and Gortyn. In 69 BC the Romans took the island by force. They designated Gortys as their administrative seat, which emerged as a major centre of the time. In the 1st century Crete received Christianity as preached by the Apostle Paul; the island’s churches were organized by Paul’s disciple Titus in 63 AD. The spread of Christianity between the 4th and 8th century led to the construction of a considerable number of basilicas, all typical of the Early Christian period, such as those at Sougia, Chersonisos, Panormo, Eleutherna, Sybritos, Frangokastelo and Gortys. Sources reveal that Crete then formed part of the Diocese of Moesia (Dioecesis Moesiarum or Illyricum Orientale), which was directly dependent on the Church of Rome; the Episcopal Province of Crete had about twenty bishoprics, with Gortys as its metropolitan see. During the iconoclast controversy under Constantine V, in around 754, the Church of Crete broke away from Rome and was annexed to the throne of Constantinople. In 823 civil war broke out on Crete between Thomas the Slav and Emperor Michael II. Meanwhile, a series of uprisings by Andalusian Arabs against the Caliph of Cordoba in the West Mediterranean led to their being banished from the Iberian Peninsula, thus rendering the island vulnerable to attack. Denied access to the north coast of Africa, they set their sights on Crete. Α series of assaults in 826 resulted in forty Arab battle ships entering Souda Bay. The island was pillaged for several days and then taken over; Gortys was razed to the ground, and the Arabs established a new capital on the site of ancient Heraclea, erecting a substantial fortress with deep ditches, which they named al-Chandak (later known as Chandax). From there they organised an extensive series of attacks against the Aegean islands, plunging them into destruction and desolation. Emperor Michael II’s efforts to recover Crete by 829 failed to rid the island of the Arab presence, as did an initially successful attempt by Michael III in 843. The baton then passed to Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, in whose reign Nicephorus Phocas became known as a man of military prowess. Once Porphyrogenitus had been succeeded by Romanos II, in 960 Nicephorus launched a military campaign to liberate Crete. The following year, following several months of operations, this ended in the surrender of Chandax. The island returned to Byzantine rule as a theme, with its church and administration reorganized by Phocas. For fear of a renewed Arab threat the capital was temporarily moved to the hinterland behind Chandax, surrounded by a strong wall. In the religious sphere Phocas formed associations with spiritual fathers such as Saint Nikon Metanoeite (“Repent”) and Saint John Xenos, reorganized new episcopal sees far from the coast and moved others to new locations. In the late 10th century the cathedral of Agios Titos (Saint Titus), was built at Gortys, on the ruins of an early Christian three-nave vaulted basilica. The second period of Byzantine rule lasted until Constantinople was conquered by the Crusaders in 1204. After the capital fell, the island was briefly occupied (until 1217) by Enrico Pescatore, Genoese count of Malta, who made concerted attempts to strengthen the forts at Chandax, Rethymnon and Sitia, and erected walls around other important sites. From 1217 onwards Crete established itself as one of the most important possessions held by the Most Serene Republic of Venice. Under the new Venetian name Candia, Chandax remained the capital and administrative centre of the island, which was divided into six sectors administered by Venetian commanders. Settlement by Venetian colonists boosted the population and breathed new life into the city, which was radically remodelled: the walls and harbour were reinforced, and intense building activity began. Sea routes expanded and trade flourished. The Byzantine church administrative system was retained, though a Latin bishop was appointed alongside his Greek counterpart at the head of each episcopal see. The entire 13th century saw repeated uprisings against Venetian authority. Prominent among these was the one led by the Skordiles and Melissinos families in the first quarter of the century, since it had the support of Byzantine troops from John Vatazes’ Empire of Nicaea. A few years later, the recapture of Constantinople by Michael VIII Palaeologus (1261) sparked off a new wave of unrest on the island. This series of uprisings ended in 1363-1364, when Venetian feudal lords attempted to secede from Venice by declaring Crete the Republic of St. Titus. After the fall of the Byzantine capital to the Ottomans in 1453, many people flocked from Constantinople to Crete. Although this new population influx undoubtedly marked a major change, smooth coexistence with the local population and the Venetians served the island well, resulting in the Cretan Renaissance of the 16th and 17th centuries. Between 1645 and 1669 the island was the theatre of the Fifth Venetian-Turkish War. The Ottomans landed on Crete and occupied it in 1645, and three years latter laid siege to Chandax. Chania was taken in 1645 and Rethymnon in 1646. The monumental siege of Candia began in May 1648 and lasted for twenty-one years; the city was pounded by daily bombardment and attacks, but managed to hold out as it was supplied from the sea. The final phase began in 1666, when numerous reinforcements arrived in support of Fazil Ahmed Pasha Kiopruli (Köprülü Fazıl Ahmed Paşa). The dire predicament of the besieged forced Venetian general Francesco Morosini to come to terms with the Ottomans and surrender the island to them.
The castle: The Castle of Mytilene, one of the largest of its kind in the Mediterranean, occupies the summit of a small hill in the north-eastern section of the peninsula where the city is built. It is divided into the Upper, Middle and Lower Castle. The first construction phase dates from the time of Justinian, and consists largely of reused ancient materials. Remains from the Byzantine phase are limited to a small gate on the north side of the wall, the east wall of the central fortified enclosure and the cistern in the Middle Castle. The castle owes its basic ground plan to Francesco Gattilusio, a Genoese merchant who was given the island of Lesbos in 1355 as dowry on marrying Maria Palaeologina, sister of Emperor John V Palaeologus. Gattulusio’s first works project was to reconstruct and strengthen the castle, as is evident from a Latin inscription above the west gate dated 1373. A powerful earthquake in 1384 caused significant damage to the castle. General restoration works were carried out by the last Gattilusio in the second half of the 15th century, when the castle was reinforced with ramparts, moats, battlements, watchtowers and cannons. The Ottoman conquest of Mytilene in 1462 ushered in a new building phase for the fortified enclosure, with extensive repairs and modifications being made in the early 16th century. The external wall was extended and the Lower Castle added in the 17th century, during the reign of Sultan Ibrahim Khan. The castle walls are irregularly shaped and enclose an area of ​​approximately 60 acres, on which abundant remains of buildings from different periods are still to be found. In the Upper Castle these include the gunpowder magazine and the ruins of a Turkish mosque, near which there is a sarcophagus with the coats of arms of the Gatellusi and Palaeologus families. The same part of the castle contains the famed Queen’s Tower, consisting of five towers and a moat around a large courtyard and two rooms, probably the official living quarters in the Byzantine castle. Access to the Middle Castle is gained via the Orta Kapou Gate; surviving buildings include the Mendreses (a 16th century seminary), the prison complex, and the Byzantine period water tank.
The castle: The turmoil and insecurity of the Arab raids against the Aegean islands in early 10th century declined significantly after the re-conquest of Crete by Emperor Nicephorus Phocas in 961. During the period that followed, the seaways became more secure boosting trade and the large ports were fortified as part of the projects of the capital to secure order in the Aegean. The construction of the Castle of Chios dates back to the last years of the 10th century, although almost none of the Byzantine fortifications survive. The castle is of an irregular pentagonal shape and encloses an area of ​​180,000 square meters and was built by the Genoese in the early 14th century. The fortified wall dividing the city into the Civitas Chii, the area inside the city walls which was the seat of political and military authority, and the Vorgo, the city outside the of walls. Its present form is due partly to the additions and successive interventions of the Genoese, the Venetians and the Ottomans, and extensive damage caused in the 19th century, by the bombing of 1828, the earthquake of 1881 and the demolition of the southern part of the construction of the new harbor in 1896. Both the land and sea walls of the castle were reinforced with nine bastions, of which eight still survive today. The land walls were surrounded by a moat. Three gates provided access to the interior of the castle: the Central Gate (Porta Maggiore), at the southern end, the West Gate (Portello) and the Water Gate (Porta di Marina), which has not survived. Interesting buildings and monuments are preserved within the walls, including the Palace Giustiniani, a two-storey building dated to the 15th century, the seat of the Genoese administration, the Dark Prison, a place where in 1822 74 island notables were jailed and then hanged, the Ottoman cemetery Kara Ali- the tower-observatory also known as Koulas, and the Cold Fountain, the main cistern of the castle. Finally, inside the castle the church of St. George which was converted into a mosque during the Ottoman occupation still survives.From this phase also survive the Medrese and the fountain in the church courtyard.
The castle of Panteli: The Castle of Panteli, an important medieval monument of Leros, is located on the east coast of the island, on the Pitis (Apityki) hill, between the villages of Platanos and Agia Marina. The two inner enclosures of the first building phase of the castle date to the middle Byzantine period. The previous confirmed chronology before the construction of the castle is the year 1087, when a chrysobull issued by Emperor Alexios I Komnenos, granted half of the castle to Christodoulos Latrinos, founder of the Monastery of John the Theologian in Patmos, on behalf of the Monastery of Our Lady Kastrianon of Kos. The existing Byzantine walls of the castle were repaired by the Hospitallers from the late 15th to early 16th century, and a new external enclosure was built, which fully complied with the requirements of the established use of firearms. The coats of arms of knight as Magisters scattered around the castle attest to the care of the Hospitallers to strengthen it. Five churches still survive inside the walls, including the church of Our Lady of the Castle. The temple, built in the late 17th century after the miraculous, according to tradition-appearance of the icon of the Virgin Mary in the gunpowder store of the castle, now houses the Ecclesiastical Museum of Leros.
The castle of Palaio Pyli: The archives of Patmos provide the first information about the castle and the medieval village of Old Pyli which are located in the area modern of Amani, at central Kos.Specifically, the edict of Alexios I Komnenos in March 1085, confirms the donation of two site on the island to Christodoulos Latrinos, founder of the Monastery of St John the Theologian in Patmos, and their tax exemption. Christodoulos founded the Monastery of Theotokos, also known as Panagia Kastrianon. In 1088 the area of ​​Pyli accrues to the Byzantine state as part of the estate of Christodoulos, and in return the monk was granted the island of Patmos. In 1493 the castle of Old Pyli, an important refuge for the population from the Ottoman invasions that occurred during the Knights' period, was severely damadged by a powerful earthquake. One of the events related to the castle occurred in 1526, during the uprising of the inhabitants against the Ottoman administration, when Christian locals massacred Muslims and then barricaded the castle. The Castle was reportedly abandoned after the epidemic of the early 19th century. Traces the Cyclopean walls on the NW side and ceramic finds from the Bronze Age attest the prehistoric occupation of the site. The medieval fortifications of the 11th century strengthened and expanded its naturally fortified position with new enclosures. The first, upper enclosure surrounds the hilltop, while the second defines a greater area to the east, west and south side of the first. Traces of walls and a gate to the north side of the enclosure and suggest that this area was also walled. Access to the castle is gained through the three surviving gates, which facilitate communication between the enclosures. Seven towers, four in the first and three in the second enclosure, strengthened the fortifications, despite the inadequate and flimsy construction which was dictated by the circumstances of the time. The fragmented architectural remains inside the castle belong mostly to the period of Ottoman rule. Among these there are two buildings and an underground cistern located inside the first enclosure, buttress walls and unidentified buildings in the second, and a small building with square plan and a conch-probably a chapel- in the fourth enclosure.
The castle: The first fortifications at Rhodes were built in the late 5th century BC, at the time the town was founded. Since then many centuries have elapsed, during which the defences have been extended, remodelled, destroyed, repaired and reinforced, all contributing to the castle’s present-day appearance. It owes much of its present form to the Knights of St. John, who occupied the island in the early 14th century and stayed there until it fell to the Ottomans in 1522. The castle’s Byzantine phases intervened between the fortifications of ancient times and those of the Knight’s era. The first of these, dating to the late 7th century, is associated with the Arab invasion of the Aegean and systematic raids against the islands. The second, in the late 11th and mid 12th century, is linked to Rhode’s emergence as a major Venetian trading station, following permission granted by Emperor Alexius I Comnenus. The walls were then extended southward and gradually reinforced, so that the Hospitallers found themselves up against considerable fortifications during the siege of Rhodes in the early 14th century. In this phase the walled city was divided into three areas: the citadel, the inner castle (Chollacium), and the Chora or town proper (Burgus). The arrival of the Knights heralded an era of prosperity and intense building activity for Rhodes. Many Grand Masters, such as Hélion de Villeneuve (1319-1346), Antoni di Fluvià (1421-1437), Jean Bonpart de Lastic (1437 -1454) and Jacques de Milly (1454-1461), carried out projects to repair, reinforce and extend the city walls until they acquired their present length in the mid-15th century. They are about 3.5 km long and enclose an area of ​​350 hectares. Byzantine sections have survived at certain points in the ramparts, consisting of earthworks and a ditch 20-60 metres wide. Twenty-one strong towers and eight bastions reinforced the walls, in line with the demands made by the introduction of gunpowder weapons, while numerous gates enabled free movement and communication. The castle’s main thoroughfare was the paved Street of Knights, 200m long and 6m wide. It began at the Palace of the Grand Magister and ended at Our Lady of the Castle, a Byzantine church modified by the Knights. The street was lined on either side with the most important buildings in the castle - the Church of St. John in the Collachium, the Inns of Tongues, the Chapel of the Holy Trinity, the Hospital and residences of officials in the Order. The fall of Rhodes to the Ottomans under Suleiman the Magnificent in 1522 did not result in significant changes to the appearance of the wall, but was reflected in the castle interior by the building of mosques dedicated to Hamza Bey, Suleiman and others.
The castle: The Frankish conquest of Constantinople in 1204 was a crucial point in Byzantine history, with major repercussions for all the territories in the empire. It marked the beginning of the Frankish period on Naxos, leading to its emergence as the capital of the newly created Duchy of the Aegean. Naxos Castle was built in the early 13th century by the first Venetian ruler of the island, Marco Sanudo II, on the site of the ancient acropolis. It is now considered the most typical example of a fortified medieval settlement in the Cyclades. The irregularly shaped wall encloses an area of ​​about 2 hectares. The original enceinte largely followed the lie of the land, so it was not necessary to create a perimeter moat or rampart. Of the sixteen towers that reinforced the wall, seven are still visible. The only one to have survived in its entirety is the Glezos or Crispi Tower near the main gate known as the Trani Porta, in the northwest of the wall, which provided the shortest route to the port. The second major gate, also called the Paraporti, was created in the south-west of the wall at the easiest point of access to the castle, linking it to the hinterland. Multiple repairs to the walls confirm that the monument was subject to constant modification, a fact reflected in buildings from various eras in the castle interior. The Venetian period Catholic Cathedral of Naxos was built for the enthronement of the Latin Archbishop in 1244, when the Diocese of Naxos seceded from Athens and declared its independence. The church originally had three aisles, a raised central transept and a dome at the intersection; drastic alterations after 1616 ended in the current five-aisled plan.This period saw the construction of the now ruined central tower, which served as the residence of the Venetian ruler, as well as the chancellery and the ducal administrative centre, which is now the Catholic bishop’s palace. These three buildings were laid out in the way typical of a medieval fortified city centre. The architecturally rich appearance of the castle was complemented by Panagia (Our Lady) Theoskepasti, the only Orthodox church, which predates the wall; the former Commercial School run by the Salesians, now home to the Naxos Archaeological Museum; and the Ursuline convent school complex.
The walls of Chania: Based on the masonry of the walls surrounding Kastelli Hill, the first fortifications at the city of Chania or ancient Cydonia date back to the Hellenistic period. The later Byzantine wall is associated with the recapture of Crete by Nicephorus Phocas in 961, and the programme instigated by the Byzantines to rebuild and fortify key positions in Crete and the Aegean region. The topology of the hill appears to have forced the Byzantine fortifications to follow the course of the ancient wall. The main building material was reused stone from ancient Cydonia, as the city was largely destroyed after the period of Arab rule (824-961). The wall has suffered considerable damage and only survives in a few places. Large sections of it were demolished and built over, rendering it difficult to determine the exact ground plan, though excavations have yielded an overall impression of its course. It is clear that the wall consisted of straight sections forming an oval outline, and was equipped with towers, two main entrances to the east and west, and smaller gates. The east gate is located at the crossroads between Canevaro Street and Daskalogiannis Street, and the west off Syntrivani (Fountain) Square. Both gates were flanked by square towers. In the mid-13th century Chania fell into the hands of the Venetians, whose main priority was to defend and protect the city. To that end, from 1538 to 1549 an engineer named Michele Sammichieli was appointed to oversee the construction of new walls. The new fortifications, which also surrounded the port area, included a four-sided wall fortified by a moat, a counterscarp, heart-shaped bastions and ramparts. The main castle gate was the so-called Rethemniotiki Porta (Porta Retimiotta), to the south
The monastery complex of Nea Moni of Chios: In the place of a small church built by three Chian monks, John, Nikitas and Joseph to house the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary, was founded in the mid 11th century the magnificent monastery complex of Nea Moni of Chios. The construction of Nea Moni relates, according to tradition, to the prophecy of the three monks about the rise of Constantine IX Monomachos (1042-1055) to the imperial throne. After his coronation Constantine, as a reward for the prophecy, build a new church for the Virgin Mary, satisfying the monks’ request. The catholicon was built and decorated with the lavish imperial sponsorship, and inaugurated in 1045; later the monastery received many privileges and donations from Constantine Monomachos and the emperors after him. Nea Moni was modeled after the little church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople; it is an octagonal-type church with a narthex and exonarthex, also known as nisiotikos. It is the oldest and most complete example of the type and displays the strong architectural influence of the capital. The characteristic of this type is that the octagonal shape of the church is not surrounded by the perimeter of the building, but is formed as the square nave is converted into an octagon in the upper floors, through four narrow squinches in the corners, on which the twelve-sided dome in based; the dome rests on the exterior walls without the mediation of internal supports, thus offering an impressive result. Similar to the architectural character of the monument is the interior decoration. The luxurious marble revetments combined with the brilliant mosaic compositions attest to the economic prosperity and welfare, and the imperial care to help the monasteries and the religious institutions of this period. The mosaics of Nea Moni, works of high artistic quality which reflect the trends of the capital, as far from the spirituality and abstraction of the decoration of the Monasteries of Daphni and St. Luke. The correct use of color, the golden background and the structuring of the multi-person compositions give expressiveness and deep spirituality to the forms. As a typical example of a Byzantine monastic complex, Nea Moni was protected by high walls, which enclosed the catholic, the refectory, the cistern and the cells. Nea Moni sustained significant damage in 1822, when it was burned and looted by the Ottomans, and by the 1881 strong earthquake. In 1990 Nea Moni, the Monastery of Daphni and Hosios Loukas were included in the International List of World Heritage of UNESCO, as a unique artistic achievement and an excellent example of an architectural whole.
The monastery of Agios Ioannis Theologos: The Monastery of Agios Ioannis Theologos on Patmos is a unique example of medieval monastic architecture and a place of considerable religious interest, being one of the largest monasteries in the Aegean. Tradition has it that John, the beloved disciple of Jesus, was exiled to barren Patmos in around 95 AD, during the persecutions of Emperor Domitian; it was during his stay on the island that John wrote two of the religious texts central to Christian faith, the Gospel According to John and the Apocalypse. Inextricably linked to this tradition is the founding of the monastery by Blessed Christodoulos Latrinus in 1088.Having petitioned Emperor Alexius I Comnenus, he managed to secure a chrysobull granting him the island and other privileges so as to found a monastery dedicated to the Evangelist.The monastery was erected on the summit of the hill, over the remains of an ancient temple and an early Christian basilica. Over time the settlement known as Chora (the island capital) grew up around it, merging to form a densely built and labyrinthine architectural ensemble.The monastery complex is surrounded by an irregularly shaped, many sided medieval wall 15 m in height. The interior is on several levels, including cell wings, auxiliary buildings, galleries and chapels dating to the 16th and 17th century, built around the catholicon as their focal point. The latter is a late 11th century composite four-column cross-in-square church, with attached chapels dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Christodoulos. The surviving wall paintings are fine, rarely encountered depictions of evangelical scenes probably painted by a Cretan School artist, dating from the second decoration phase in the early 17th century. The chapel of the Virgin Mary has an important fresco ensemble displaying the monumental tendency of the late 12th century. The famed monastery library and sacristy house treasures and heirlooms of inestimable historical and artistic value, such as rare collections of Byzantine and post-Byzantine manuscripts, imperial documents, books, icons and miniature works. The Monastery of Agios Ioannis Theologos on Patmos (an impressive architectural monument and repository of Byzantine culture), the Cave of the Apocalypse and Chora (Patmos town) were placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999, as a prominent Greek Orthodox pilgrimage centre of outstanding architectural interest.
The church of the Archangel Michael : The Church of the Archangel Michael in the village of Kato Episkopi, Kissamos, dates to the second half of the 6th century, and is considered the most important early Christian monument on Crete. The church is of great archaeological interest from both an architectural and an artistic point of view. It is the only centrally-planned building on Crete, framed by a rectangular ground plan, with a semi-circular conch flanked by vaulted pastophoria, a domed narthex and an atrium. One characteristic feature is the large dome covering the nave of the church, with stepped concentric hoops on the exterior. The mosaic floor follows the trends of the time and is decorated with plant motifs (vines, ivy leaves), ornamental patterns (scales, frames of intersecting circles) and interspersed animal forms (e.g. fish). The four or five layers of frescoes in the church have only partially survived. The initial layer has been dated to the 7th century and includes representations of the Ascension and medals of saints in the dome, as well as a representation of St Matthew in the narthex, St. George in the southern pastophorio, and the Archangel Michael in the conch of the sanctuary apse. Parts of frescoes dating to the period of Iconoclasm have been brought to light in the second layer, with nonfigurative cross decorations. The third, mid-Byzantine layer is of high artistic quality, influenced by Comnenian art in the capital, and is historically linked to the transfer of the Diocese of Kissamos to the Church of the Archangel Michael during the second Byzantine period (961 - 1204).
The museum: Since 1980 the Chios Byzantine Museum has been housed in the Mecidiye Mosque, an Ottoman architectural monument in the centre of the modern town. Built to a square ground plan with a porch, the mosque was commissioned in the mid 19th century by Sultan Abdul Mecid. From the very earliest days of the modern Greek state it was used to house the island’s archaeological collections. Following extensive renovation work carried out on the building over subsequent years, the new archaeological collection of the Chios Byzantine Museum went on display. The permanent exhibition traces the course of the island’s cultural heritage over the Byzantine and post-Byzantine centuries, highlighting the fruitful intermingling of peoples who lived together on the island, while also making reference to major historical events in modern times. It is organized around three core thematic units, together with an introduction presenting the island’s cultural, political and social history via a chronological table and visual material. Unit I, which takes up the north side of the building, focuses on church and secular architecture, including: (a) sculptures from Early Christian churches (4th – 7th century), such as capitals, closure slabs, mullions, pulpit fragments and an offerings table, as well as visual material; (b) an examination of Byzantine church architecture, with special reference to the octagonal church type; an exhibition of closure slabs, fragments of epistyles, a cornice from an arch, mullions from churches, capitals; (c) a presentation of the island’s Genoese period (1346-1566); an exhibition of secular architecture sculptures, with information on Genoese architecture, fortification works and the architecture of contemporary fortified villages; (d) information on Chios in the Ottoman period. Unit II, on the south side of the building, consists of information and finds relating to everyday life as experienced in activities, work and living alongside other social and religious groups, as follows: (i) household decoration and equipment; (ii) dietary habits; (iii) Chios and the sea; (iv) sea voyages; (v) ceramics - pottery (vi) graves, burials and burial customs. Unit III focuses on worship and art. This includes Byzantine and post-Byzantine frescoes showing how painting developed on the island under the manifest influence of art as it evolved in Crete and Constantinople. Here the exhibition has been set up on two parallel rows running diagonally across the centre of the room to create an avenue of art. On display are frescoes from the catholicon at Nea Moni on Chios, as well as from Panagia Krina and other churches on the island.
The byzantine collection (Nicolaides Mansion): The Nicolaides Mansion in Patmos town is a two-storey house built between the 17th and 18th century, considered a representative example of the architecture fostered by the island’s prosperous middle class. The building exhibits the key features of mansions from that time: rainwater tanks, storage and work areas on the ground floor; reception rooms and living quarters on the upper floor; and semi-open courtyards and large verandas around the house.Of particular interest is the single nave chapel dedicated to St. Nicholas, which was incorporated into the facade, and the lavishly decorated ambataros, a wooden structure on the upper floor which served as a partition and storage space. Following extensive restoration work on damage sustained in an earthquake in 1956, the Nicolaides Mansion was converted into an exhibition space. The exhibition housed on the premises includes a small collection of archaeological artefacts from the island of Patmos, drawings of the town and plans of local mansions by architect H. Iakovidis, and a series of documents relating to the mansion’s owner. Household objects are also on display, including the restored ambataros. Visitors to the Chapel of St. Nicholas can see the restored icon screen, principal icons and sanctuary doors.

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