Hagioi Anargyroi, Koumani
| Department | Archive |
|---|---|
| Collection | Byzantine Research Fund |
| Reference No. | BRF/02/01/14/095 |
| Level | Item |
| Place |
Mani |
| Dates | 1909? |
| Donor/Creator |
Traquair, Mr Ramsay |
| Scope and Content | South-west 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 church of Hagioi Anargyroi at Koumani is square in plan. The large octagonal central dome has a window on each face, arched cornice and angle shafts. The church has extensively been rebuilt: the east end which is now square must originally have terminated in an apse, the entrance door has originally been very lofty with a stone arch enclosed in a square frame of brick. The masonry is rough and of poor quality. The belfry is of better stone than the walls: brick dentil courses decorate the walling. The monument has been dated to the second half of the 13th c. |