Hagios Spyridon, Kardamyli
| Department | Archive |
|---|---|
| Collection | Byzantine Research Fund |
| Reference No. | BRF/02/01/14/091 |
| Level | Item |
| Place |
Mani |
| Dates | 1909? |
| Donor/Creator |
Traquair, Mr Ramsay |
| Scope and Content | South façade. 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 Hagios Spyridon inside Kardamyli castle-grounds is a single-aisled domed church (cell). Worth noting in the building are: the marble doorframe with the western-type pilasters; lavish marble window-frames; the excellent quality Byzantine spolia which were incorporated into the walling and the imposing bell-tower built by porous stone and decorated with naïve carved ornaments/motifs. The church is dated to the 18th c., the first period of economic revival in the Mani since the Turkish conquest. |
| Reference |
1909. BSA 15: pl.12f. Link to article |