Byzantine church in Athens, Greece
The
Little Metropolis
(
Greek
:
Μικρ? Μητρ?πολη
,
romanized
:
Mikri Mitropoli
), formally the
Church of St. Eleftherios
(
Greek
:
?γιο? Ελευθ?ριο?
,
romanized
:
Ayios Eleftherios
) or
Panagia Gorgoepikoos
(
Greek
:
Παναγ?α Γοργοεπ?κοο?
,
romanized
:
Panayia Gorgoepikoos
, "
Panagia
Who Grants Requests Quickly"
), is a
Byzantine
church located at the Mitropoleos Square (Cathedral of Athens), next to the
Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens
(the "Great Metropolis").
[2]
History and dating
[
edit
]
The church is built on top of the ruins of an ancient temple dedicated to the goddess
Eileithyia
.
[2]
Various dates for its construction have been proposed in the past, from the 9th century under Empress
Irene of Athens
to the 13th century.
Until recently, the common view among scholars, especially in Greece, ascribed it to the tenure of
Michael Choniates
as
Metropolitan of Athens
, at the turn of the 13th century.
However, the Little Metropolis differs considerably from other Byzantine churches of the same period in Athens, and indeed elsewhere; although it follows the typical
cross-in-square
style, it is, uniquely, almost entirely built of reused
spolia
from earlier buildings,
ranging from
Classical Antiquity
to the 12th or even 13th centuries, thus precluding an earlier date of construction.
The historian
Bente Kiilerich
further pointed out that during his visit to Athens in 1436, the antiquarian
Cyriacus of Ancona
mentions one of the inscriptions from the
spolia
of the church as lying in the
Ancient Agora of Athens
, i.e., far from its present location. This suggests that the church was built after 1436.
Kiilerich suggested an early
Ottoman-era
date for the church, perhaps connected with the takeover of the city's old cathedral?the
Theotokos Atheniotissa
in the
Parthenon
?by the Turks and its conversion into a mosque.
Originally dedicated to the
Panagia
Gorgoepikoos after a miraculous icon of the
Virgin Mary
housed there, it acquired the name "Little Metropolis" because it was located within the bounds of the residence of the
Metropolitan of Athens
.
[2]
Following the
Greek War of Independence
, the church was abandoned. From 1841 it housed the public library of Athens until 1863, when it was re-dedicated as a church, first to
Christ the Saviour
, and then to
Saint Eleutherios
.
[2]
In 1856, the church underwent restoration to its original state, in which its more recent additions, such as its bell-tower, were removed.
On 16 January 2023, the Little Metropolis was used as the location of the lying-in-state of
Constantine II of Greece
, the last
King of the Hellenes
, whom a "crowd of thousands" prostrated and mourned.
[9]
Description
[
edit
]
The church has a typical Byzantine layout, being cross-in-square, with a three-aisled nave with the central aisle higher than the flanking ones.
[2]
The octagonal dome was originally supported by four columns, but these were replaced in the 19th century by piers.
It is a small structure, just 7.6 metres (25 ft) long and 12.2 metres (40 ft) wide.
The walls are built exclusively of reused marble
spolia
, comprising undecorated masonry up to the height of the windows, and featuring a total of ninety sculptures above that; this feature makes the church unique among Byzantine sacred architecture. Unlike common practice in contemporary Byzantine architecture, no
bricks
have been used, except for the dome.
[2]
Its interior was originally decorated entirely with
frescoes
, but only one of these survives today: an image of the Panagia over the entrance apse.
37°58′30.02″N
23°43′48.06″E
/
37.9750056°N 23.7300167°E
/
37.9750056; 23.7300167
Gallery
[
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]
References
[
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]
Sources
[
edit
]
Media related to
Panagia Gorgoepikoos
at Wikimedia Commons
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