Hagios Demetrios, Platsa
| Department | Archive |
|---|---|
| Collection | Byzantine Research Fund |
| Reference No. | BRF/02/01/14/078 |
| Level | Item |
| Place |
Mani |
| Dates | 1909? |
| Donor/Creator |
Traquair, Mr Ramsay |
| Scope and Content | South-east view. The photograph is annotated in pencil at the back. |
| Further information | The area in the middle of the Peloponnese, on the Laconia/Messinia border, was known as early as the 10th c. as the ‘Mani’. It was occupied by the Slavs in the early medieval period and was christianised in the 10th c. 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c. The restored church of Hagios Demetrios at Platsa was cross-in-square domed plan: the remainder has collapsed and been replaced by a barrel-vaulted cell. The three apses at the east end are hexagonal- the central has a double arched window. The masonry is of good quality brick and stone. A dentil course at about half the height decorates the walling. Inside are the remains of a marble floor with an inlaid border much damaged. On the grounds of the fine character of the masonry the church has dated 11th c. |