Hagioi Tessarakonta
| Department | Archive |
|---|---|
| Collection | Byzantine Research Fund |
| Reference No. | BRF/01/01/14/154 |
| Level | Item |
| Place |
Ancient Sparta |
| Dates | 1888-1890 |
| Donor/Creator |
Weir Schultz, Mr Robert Barnsley, Mr Sidney Howard |
| Scope and Content | Ground plan. This is a preliminary drawing. It is annotated in pencil. |
| Further information | The monastery of Hagioi Tessarakonta was founded in the 13th c. on Stamatera mountain, close to Sparta. Today a small chapel decorated by the post-Byzantine painter Constantine Manasse marks the place. In 1615 the monastic complex was re-founded at a new, better protected location nearby. It suffered severe damage in 1770, however, it continued to play a key role in the 1821 War of Independence. The wall paintings of the katholikon, which is of the cross-in-square domed type, date to the last decades of the 18th c., well after the restoration of the monastic complex. Worth noting is the wooden-carved templon of the church. The monastery has recently been restored. |