The church of the Virgin Mary Pantanassa
The Monastery of Pantanassa, which dominates the
eastern edge of the fortified enclosure, was the last church building project
in the city. It was founded in 1428 by the second in command of the Despotate,
protostrator John Frangopoulos, as revealed by the dedicatory verse inscription
in the western dome of the gallery and monograms in various parts
of the church. The walled area extended eastward from the median wall between
the Lower and the Upper City of Mystras. At the lowest, most prominent point,
the Byzantine dignitary funded the construction of a so-called “Mystras type”
church, combining a three nave basilica on the ground floor with a cross-in-square
church on the upper floor. The two-storey building is surrounded by a tall,
slender bell tower and two porticos arranged in an L-shape, though the western one
has not survived. At the same time, numerous decorative elements are tastefully
combined on the building’s faces. The variety of decoration is most apparent on
the east side and the four-storey bell tower. The monument shows strong western
influence and confirms the eclectic character of 15th century architecture
in Mystras. On the inside, apart from the reused sculptures and the 17th-18th
century frescoes on the ground floor, the galleries and the upper building are
covered in excellent 15th century paintings, which echo those in Hodegetria
(Aphentiko) and Peribleptos. As a whole, they are among the most important
creations in the last phase of Palaeologan painting. One of the narthex vaults
has a funerary portrait of the Byzantine ruler Manuel Lascares Chatzikes, who an
inscription records as passing away in 1445. On his head he is wearing a hat
similar to that worn by Emperor John VIII Palaeologus.
Glossary (5)
dome:
hemispherical vault resting on a cylindrical or polygonal drum. Widely used in Christian church architecture.
gallery or tribune:
upper story of a church above the side naves and the narthex.
three nave basilica:
a basilica with three naves.
cross-in-square church:
type of church where the central dome is supported by four arches covering the extremities of an equilateral cross. Lateral compartments, covered with small domes or barrel vaults, are formed at the four corners of the cross and thus the church forms a cross inscribed in a square or rectangular area. Externally the sign of the cross is also prominent because of this unique way of covering the roof.
bell tower:
part of a church containing the bells. Usually a square tower near or abutting the front of the church, often rising above the narthex.
Information Texts (0)
Bibliography (16)
1. Ασπρά-Βαρδαβάκη, Μ., Η Μονή της Παντάνασσας στον Μυστρά. Οι τοιχογραφίες του 15ου αιώνα, Εμπορική Τράπεζα της Ελλάδος, Athens, 2005
2. Χατζηδάκης Μ., Μυστράς :Η μεσαιωνική πολιτεία και το κάστρο : πλήρης οδηγός των παλατιών, των εκκλησιών και του κάστρου, Εκδοτική Αθηνών, Athens, 1989
3. Αχειμάστου - Ποταμιάνου, Μυρτάλη, Μυστράς. Ιστορικος και αρχαιολογικός οδηγός, Athens, 2003
4. Τα μνημεία του Μυστρά. Tο έργο της επιτροπής αναστήλωσης μνημείων Μυστρά, Athens, 2009
5. Millet G., Les monuments byzantins de Mistra, Paris, 1910
6. Millet G., L’école grecque dans l’architecture byzantine, Paris, 1916
7. Millet G., Les inscriptions byzantines de Mistra, 1899
8. Dufrenne S., Les programmes iconographiques des églises byzantines de Mistra, Paris, 1970
9. Etzeoglou R, Quelques remarques sur les portraits figures dans les eglises de Mistra, 1982
10. Mouriki D., Paleologan Mistra and the West, Athens, 1987
11. Mouriki D., ‘The Wall Paintings of the Pantanassa at Mistra: Models of a Painters Workshop in the 15th century’ in The Twilight of Byzantium , S. Ćurčić, D. Mouriki, Princeton, 1991
12. Η Πολιτεία του Μυστρά, Υπουργείο Πολιτισμού, Athens, 2001
13. Χατζητρύφωνος Ευαγγελία, Το περίστωο στην υστεροβυζαντινή εκκλησιαστική αρχιτεκτονική, Σχεδιασμός, λειτουργία , Ευρωπαϊκό Κέντρο Βυζαντινών και Μεταβυζαντινών Μνημείων, Thessaloniki, 2004
14. Emmanuel M., ‘Religious Imagery in Mystra. Donors and Iconographic Programmes’ in Material Culture and Well-Being in Byzantium (400-1453), Wien, 2007
15. Υπουργείο Πολιτισμού και Τουρισμού | Παντάνασσα, http://odysseus.culture.gr/h/2/gh251.jsp?obj_id=9382
16. The Monastery of the Pantanassa, http://www.fhw.gr/choros/mystras/gr/E/15E/15E19.html
Comments (0)