Listed 2 sub titles with search on: Places of worship for destination: "KARYES Village AGION OROS".
Tel: +30 23770 23711-3, 23221
Fax: +30 23770 23315
It is a
three-aisle basilica, with its
central aisle on a higher level and an external gallery along the northern side. The tall rectangular bell-tower is built a few meters away from the north-east corner of the church. The marble iconostasis of the church is still in its place, as well as the portable icons painted
by Theophanes, in the mid-16th century, along with the the miraculous
icon of the Virgin "Axion Esti".
The monument, which in its earliest form is dated to the 10th century, has been decorated with
frescoes by the main representative of the so-called Macedonian School, Manuel Panselinos.
Apart from the historic elements of the monument, the
frescoes which
cover practically every wall of the church , are undoubtedly the most brilliant
example of the Paleologean Art, around 1300, whose colours, forms and sentiments
have found their best expression in the hands of the most worthy master of the
period.
The restoration of the monument was carried out by the Archaeological Service during the '50s and '60s, while recently the 10th Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities completed the conservation of the wall paintings.
The church is in use for the daily worship of the monks who live in
Karyes for more than ten centuries, and it is also used for all the official ceremonies
of the Holy Community.
Karyes has been the seat of the self-governing body of Mount Athos
and the seat of the 'protos' since the 10th century. At that time the settlement
comprised some small older monasteries and the residences of representatives of
distant ones.
Assemblies of the monks were usually held on 15th August, the Virgin's
feast-day, in the Protaton church, the very heart of monasticism on Athos; disputes
between monasteries, mainly about land holdings, were settled there.
Dedicated to the Dormition of the Virgin, the Protaton is a large
triple-aisled basilica with narthex. Built in the 10th century it was repaired
in the reign of Andronikos II Palaeologos (1282-1328). The wall-paintings (circa
1300) have been attributed to Manuel Panselinos; the artist, whoever he was, created
a work that has gained world-wide acclaim in our time.
The extraordinary abundance of painted scenes, free of all abstraction
and featuring exquisite figures that come close to defining the quintessence of
man, give superb material expression to the vision of Palaeologian art.
By kind permission of:Ekdotike Athenon
This text is cited Nov 2003 from the Macedonian Heritage URL below, which contains images.
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