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.


Glossary (6)

catholicon: the main church of a monastery. As a rule it was the most imposing one, located in the center of the courtyard
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.
exonarthex or outer narthex: external gallery in the western part of a church, between the narthex and the atrium.
squinch: small arch or half-domed niche introduced into Byzantine architecture during the Middle Byzantine period. It is set in the corners of a square area, transforming it into an octagonal capable of supporting a large dome.
marble revetment: facings of colored marble slabs that covered walls from the floor to the starting point of arches.
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.


Information Texts (2)

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 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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