Hagioi Theodoroi, Vamvaka
| Department | Archive |
|---|---|
| Collection | Byzantine Research Fund |
| Reference No. | BRF/02/01/14/049 |
| Level | Item |
| Place |
Mani |
| Dates | 1909? |
| Donor/Creator |
Traquair, Mr Ramsay |
| Scope and Content | Detail: Window in the south-east apse. 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 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 Hagioi Theodoroi stands at the north end of the village of Vamvaka. It is of the simple distyle type. At the west it is preceded by a narthex and at the east it terminates in three polygonal apses. The dome is octagonal with an arched cornice. The walls are partly of rubble (rough masonry) in the lower courses and partly of squared brown limestone with bricks in the joints (cloisonné). The dome has retained some of its glazed pottery bowls. The windows are arched in brick. Noteworthy is the marble carved interior and exterior decoration of the church: according to a dedicatory inscription the ‘entablatures’ were made by Niketas, the stone-mason who must have worked in various churches in the Mani. The erection of the monument is fixed by the same inscription at 1075. |