Taxiarches (Hagioi Asomatoi), Kouloumi
| Department | Archive |
|---|---|
| Collection | Byzantine Research Fund |
| Reference No. | BRF/02/01/14/062 |
| Level | Item |
| Place |
Mani |
| Dates | 1909? |
| Donor/Creator |
Traquair, Mr Ramsay |
| Scope and Content | Carved slab (iconostasis). The photograph is annotated in pencil at the back. |
| Further information | The area in the middle of the Peloponnese, on the Laconia/Messenia border, was known as early as the tenth century as the ‘Mani’. It was occupied by the Slavs in the early Medieval period and was Christianised in the tenth century by Hosios Nikon. There are scores of Byzantine and post-Byzantine churches in the Mani: the first major phase of building activity in the region seems to run from the late 10th to the later 12th c. The domed church of the Taxiarches (Hagioi Asomatoi) at Kouloumi is of a small, two-column plan with narthex. It has been extensively rebuilt. The masonry consists of rubble, clay and various stones: carefully cut ancient spolia have been inserted into the walling. Few brickwork ornaments (zig-zag, Greek letters, geometrical patterns) decorate the exterior. The octagonal dome recalls contemporary examples of the so-called 'Athenian type'. The carved marble decoration of the monument is of poor quality but of a particularly rich repertoire. Fragments of the original fresco decoration are still visible on the interior walls. The church has been dated to the 12th c. but the architecture points towards an earlier date. |