The church of Agios Stephanos
The church of Agios Stefanos lies on a hill on the
northeast part of Kastoria. Dating the monument is problematic as there is no
information from inscriptions or other sources. However, based on the church’s
oldest surviving wall paintings, construction took place in the early 10th
century.
From an architectural point of view, the church is three nave barrel-vaulted basilica
with a narthex and a higher central nave. The side
naves are connected by two symmetrical arcs, while blind arches, two on each
side, adorn the walls of the side naves. The three naves and the narthex
are covered with semi cylindrical arches. The sanctuary conch is semi-hexagonal
externally and has a built synthronon on the inside. Three arched
openings allow all aisles to communicate with the narthex, which
occupies the entire width of the church, while a built staircase on the north
side leads to the upper floor. On the south part of the upper floor there is a chapel
dedicated to Agia Anna, while an arched window opens to the nave. The gallery,
unique in the Byzantine churches of Kastoria, is mentioned in local tradition
as a hermitage.
The exterior of the church has a rich ceramic decoration. The masonry is made
of irregular stones in bands defined by double rows of bricks while other
bricks placed vertically or diagonally between the stones create a variety of
shapes, common to several of the city’s Byzantine churches. The church is
illuminated by narrow single-light, arched windows, which are surrounded
by a single row of bricks either entirely, or just around the lobe of the
window. The three single-light apse windows are crowned by dogtooth courses
that run across the apse. A frieze extended to the dogtooth
cornice is decorated with simple
ceramic tiles. Similar decoration adorns the central aisle pediment and a
frieze on the highest point of the
sides defined by dogtooth courses. Two "suns" similar to those
of Agioi Anargyroi and the Archangel of the Gymnasium, adorn the east side of
the raised aisle. The main church entrance is on the west side but, since the
opening up of the north wall door, it is hardly ever used today. The main south
wall entrance of the church is now secondarily used.
The interior painted decoration
of the church is rich. The first painted layer, which once covered
all the surfaces, was created just after the monument was erected and can be
dated to the early 10th century. One of the most characteristic and best
preserved representations of the first layer is the Second Coming in the narthex.
It is a big composition, the oldest in mainland Greece, covering the vault and
the narthex walls and extends on the side walls of the upper floor staircase.
The figures of the apostles and angels, represented in normal proportions,
tranquil and displaying restrained movement, are laid out symmetrically along a
band running across the narthex.
The second layer iconographic program, dating to the early 13th century, is
divided into three zones, with evangelical scenes, prophets and the three ages
of Christ in the nave arch. The main feature of the scenes is their size, the simple
and highly structured composition with few, tall graceful figures. Stylistically
they follow the academic painting tradition with the standardized elements of
the 12th century, influenced by the late-nomnenon style.
From the 13th up until the 14th century a number of individual representations
were painted in various parts of the church by different donators. The portrait
of Father Theodore Lemnos (late 13th - early 14th century) offering a model of
the church to Agios Stephanos stands out; also worth mentioning is the
depiction of the "petty supplicant George" below the representation
of Mary Gorgoepikoos. The many devotional representations, the burial use of
the church, the existence of the synthronon-chair and the hermitage lead
to the assumption that this was probably a monastic church.
Glossary (10)
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.
aisles or naves:
corridors formed inside a church between the colonnades of basilicas. Their number varies from three to nine, with the central one wider and taller.
synthronon:
semicircular stone or marble tiered structure of benches within the apse of early Christian churches, serving as a seat for the clergy. The episcopal throne was placed at the center.
chapel:
small
sized church, either
independent, belonging
to a religious foundation, or part of
a larger
church.
In Byzantium chapels were often
used for burials.
gallery or tribune:
upper story of a church above the side naves and the narthex.
single-lobed or single-light window:
window with a single opening that forms an arc at the top.
dogtooth, dentil, saw-tooth or course:
ceramic decorative elements that can be oblong or meet along the crowning of the roof, like frames surrounding windows. Can be single or double.
pediment:
the uppermost triangular architectural structure on the long sides of an ancient temple, used in the facades of churches in Byzantine times. Pediments often have arched windows and surmount ciboria, fountains, porticos and porches.
frieze:
architectural term used to describe the area of the church above the architrave. Friezes on ancient temples bore depictions of people, animals, or entire scenes from myths.
Information Texts (2)
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.
The church of the Archangel:
The church of the Archangel
lies in the south part of Kastoria, in the cathedral parish, a short distance
from Omonia Square.
Reused architectural members such as columns, mullion bases and
imposts indicate that the church was probably built on the site of an Early
Christian
basilica.From an architectural point of view the church is a 9th -10th
century basilica with narthex. On the inside, two colonnades
divide it into three naves; the central one ends in a semicircular conch,
while the side naves end in smaller conches built into the thickness of the
wall. The raised nave has a barrel vaulted roof. The north nave was
later expanded and doubled in width, but still retains part of the eastern wall
and the conch. An oblong narthex
was added to the west of the church, covered by three vaults that divide the
roof into three sections corresponding to the tripartite division of the nave.On the interior there are two successive layers of decoration. All that
survives of the first are a few poorly preserved fragments. Christ is visible
in the apse of the north nave and Matthew the Evangelist in that of the south
nave, added to which is a decorative band in a section around the sanctuary
apse. Over the entrance to the narthex in the east wall, parts of a
broader depiction of Advent show an imposingly large figure of an enthroned
Christ opposite Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the three forefathers. Saints are
depicted in the arches, while the space over the south nave entrance has a half-length
depiction of Christ shown blessing. Although these fragmentary representations
do not help us to draw conclusions about this layer’s iconographic programme, in
stylistic terms they point to the first layer of wall paintings in Agios Stephanos
and the early frescoes of Cappadocian churches.
The second layer dates to 1359 -1360. Surfaces in the central nave are devoted
to scenes from the Dodecaorton and the Passion, alongside full-length
depictions of saints. The second layer paintings follow the
anti-classical tradition of contemporary churches in Kastoria and Ohrid, tending
towards a flat, linear rendition of forms and expressiveness in movements.
The outer west wall frescos feature full-length depictions of Panagia Hodegetria
(Our Lady of the Way) and Archangels Gabriel and Michael. At the foot of the
Archangel Michael there are smaller scale depictions of King Michael Asen of
the Bulgarians (1246-1256/7) and probably his wife Anna - not his mother Irene Comnena,
as argued until recently. The frescoes on the outer south wall depict local
officials and inscriptions dating to the 15th century, which provide important
information on the area’s people, clothes and art.
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