Taxiarches, Areopolis
| Department | Archive |
|---|---|
| Collection | Byzantine Research Fund |
| Reference No. | BRF/01/01/14/140 |
| Level | Item |
| Place |
Mani |
| Dates | 1909 |
| Donor/Creator |
Traquair, Mr Ramsay |
| Scope and Content | North-east view. The drawing is labelled in ink: 'Areopolis, Hagios Taxiarchos'. It is dated in ink (1909). On the back: Hellenic Society label with the note: 'Lakonia, Medieval Churches: H. Taxiarches, Areopolis, BSA XV p. 189, fig. 3b, R. Traquair'. The name of the church has been mispelled. |
| Further information | The area in the middle of the Peloponnese, on the Laconia/Messenia 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 church of Taxiarches at Areopolis was founded in 1798 by the Mavromichaeli family. It is a cell church with dome. The east end terminates in a single polygonal apse decorated with shallow wall arches with angle pilasters and capitals. A bold relief frieze sculptured with signs of the Zodiac runs round the top. A variety of sculpture decorates other parts of the church too. |
| Reference |
1909. BSA 15: 187, fig.3b. Link to article |