Castle - Hagios Georgios Church
| Department | Archive |
|---|---|
| Collection | Byzantine Research Fund |
| Reference No. | BRF/01/01/14/001 |
| Level | Item |
| Place |
Geraki |
| Dates | 1906 |
| Donor/Creator |
Traquair, Mr Ramsay |
| Scope and Content | Details of the castle and of armorial bearings in the church of Hagios Georgios. The drawing is labelled in ink: 'St George Geranki - Coat of Arms', 'Geraki - Huchette on South Wall', 'Geraki - Battlements on South Wall', 'Huchette Restored'. It is signed in ink: RT 1906. |
| Further information | Built by the Franks around 1250 east of the present-day village, Geraki castle was ceded to Michael VIII in 1262 as ransom for Guillaume de Villechardouin’s freedom and remained in Greek hands until the middle of the 15th c. It is of irregular polygon shape with gate-houses, large corner towers and a plastered cistern against the south-east enceinte. The main gate, which is surmounted by three niches once filled with armorial bearings, is on the west side. The masonry throughout is rubble with tiles. The castle is said to have been built in emulation to that of Mistras and was drastically restored by the Byzantines. Numerous houses, churches and chapels still survive inside the castle walls. The church of Hagios Georgios is located inside Geraki castle. Originally built as a two-aisled basilica, it was later transformed into a three-aisled barrel-vaulted building with three rounded apses and a narthex. The aisles and nave are separated by a triple arcade resting on a column on the north side and by square piers on the south. The door of the church has a pointed arch and is decorated above with a little semicircular-headed niche with rude zigzag ornament. Four different kinds of armorial bearings (coats) decorate the church. It is not easy to date the different phases in the construction of the building. It has been suggested that the original double-nave church which must have been the castle chapel could be dated to the middle Byzantine or the Frankish period. The interior decoration, which has been assigned a date in the 14th c., is of considerable interest although not of the highest quality. A tenth-century marble relief panel forms part of the templon while a large pierced marble shrine (proskynitarion) decorated with thin slabs of interlace work of strong Frankish inspiration is built in the north wall. It is often said to be the tomb of Guy de Nivelet to whom the barony was granted in 1205, or of a family member. |
| Reference |
1905. BSA 12: 260, fig.1. Link to article |