Athens: Omorphi Eklesia (Beautiful Church), Turkovounia.
| Department | Archive |
|---|---|
| Collection | BSA SPHS Image Collection |
| Reference No. | BSA SPHS 01/0405.1737 |
| Level | Item |
| Description | Glass negative, full plate size, a copy negative. |
| Dimensions | 21.5 x 16 cm |
| Place |
Omorphi Eklesia Athens |
| Dates | 1888-1889 |
| Donor/Creator |
Macmillan, Mr Malcolm Dyer, Mr Louis |
| Scope and Content | The original description in the SPHS register reads: "Attica: Suburbs of Athens. The Beautiful Church (Turko Vuni)". |
| Notes | Date of the image is prior to 1890 as photographs by Dyer and Macmillan were submitted to the Hellenic Society's collections and catalogued, see JHS 11 (1890) p. xxxviii.. The donors were were thought to be in Cyprus with E.A. Gardner (see JHS 9: 170) in 1888 and Malcolm Macmillan died in 1889. The Omorphi Eklesia is located near the mountain range called Turkovounia ("Turko Vuni" in the original caption). |
| Further information | This small distyle cross-in-square church in Galatsi, Athens was built in the late 12th c. It is dedicated to Hagios Georgios but it is known as the ‘Beautiful Church’ (‘Omorphi Ekklesia’) due to its elegant proportions and the impressive fresco decoration. In terms of architecture, it follows the middle Byzantine church-building tradition of the Greek mainland (‘Greek School’), however, the ornamental cloisonné is not consistently applied: the texture of the walling is much quieter, the exterior simpler. The narthex and the attached south chapel (parekklesion), which in terms of architecture bears strong western influences, are contemporary additions. The interior is decorated with wall-paintings produced by different artists during the second half of the 13th c. Stylistically, they can be associated with the wall-paintings of the Metropolis and the Hagioi Theodoroi church at Mistra, Peloponnese as well as with the surviving frescoes of the Olympiotissa church at Elassona, Thessaly. |