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.
Bibliography (7)
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