Church of the Holy Trinity, Athens
The Church of the Holy Trinity (
.History
The church is known by a variety of names: the Russian Church (Ρωσική Εκκλησία), or St. Nikodemos (Greek: Άγιος Νικόδημος),[1] a name of modern origin that is a corruption of its original name Soteira Lykodimou (Σωτείρα Λυκοδήμου, "the [Virgin] Saviouress of Lykodemos"), with "Lykodemos" probably the family name of one of its founders.[1][2] It was originally the katholikon of a large convent, but the rest of the convent was torn down in 1778 by the Ottoman governor, Hadji Ali Haseki, to construct new city wall.[2]
The 19th-century Greek archaeologist K. Pittakes suggested a connection between the name "Lykodemos" and the classical Lyceum of Aristotle. While the suggestion can not be proved, excavations prior to the church's reconstruction in the 1850s revealed the foundations of an earlier church on the site, dating to the 6th century, when the city's Classical traditions were still remembered.[3] However, the discovery of the Lyceum's actual site in 1996[4] disproved that theory.
A number of graffiti in the church indicate that the present structure was built before 1044 (or even earlier, 1031), and mention the name of the protoktetor ("first founder"), Stephen. Its morphology, which closely emulates that of Hosios Loukas, completed in 1011, indicates a terminus post quem for its construction.[5] No further information about the church is known during the subsequent centuries, until the earthquake of 3 September 1705, when it suffered considerable damage, after which it is believed to have been repaired and its interior decoration renewed. However, the 19th-century Russian archimandrite Antonin further reported that the church was abandoned already in the 16th century, along with the wider area.[6]
In 1821, during the
The technical committee assembled to examine the church initially concluded that it would be best if it were demolished and replaced by a new structure, but in the end, it was decided to restore and rebuild it as close as possible to the original. The work was carried out from 1850 to 1855, under the supervision of Greek Army major T. Vlasopoulos; the dome, western side and almost all vaults were removed and replaced, but the eastern side, much of the northern and southern side, as well as the lower parts of the western wall, are those of the original Byzantine building.
Description
The largest surviving Byzantine church in Athens,[1] it is "clearly the earliest and most faithful copy" of the great katholikon of the Hosios Loukas monastery, both in morphology, dimensions—the Athenian church features measurements almost exactly three quarters those of Hosios Loukas—and in decoration.[12] Its design is a typically middle Byzantine cross-in-square, with a dome resting on an octagonal base.[12][13] The masonry is of high quality, with dressed stones separated by double courses of bricks.[14] The exterior features pseudo-Kufic decorative designs of brick, similar to Hosios Loukas and another Athenian church, the Church of the Holy Apostles, which is roughly contemporary. Some are placed individually amidst the masonry, but others have been used to form a frieze running on three sides of the building, with champlevé ornaments on white plaster, emulating contemporary Byzantine art.[15]
The present interior decoration consists of
References
- ^ a b c Bouras 2004, p. 11.
- ^ a b c Freely 2004, p. 233.
- ^ Lynch 1972, pp. 19–21.
- ^ "Lyceum of Aristotle in Athens to open to public as archaeological site". Archived from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
- ^ Bouras 2004, pp. 11–12.
- ^ a b c Bouras 2004, p. 12.
- ^ Bouras 2004, p. 13.
- ^ Bouras 2004, pp. 13, 17–19.
- ^ Bouras 2004, pp. 13–14.
- ^ Bouras 2004, p. 14.
- ^ Bouras 2004, p. 15.
- ^ a b Bouras 2004, p. 22.
- ^ a b "Sotira Lykodimou (The Savior of Lykodimos) - The Russian Church". Athens Info Guide. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
- ^ Bouras 2004, p. 21.
- ^ Bouras 2004, pp. 21–22.
- ^ Bouras 2004, pp. 20–21.
Sources
- Bouras, Charalambos (2004). "The Soteira Lykodemou at Athens. Architecture". Δελτίον της Χριστιανικής Αρχαιολογικής Εταιρείας. 4. 25: 11–24.
- ISBN 978-1-85043-595-2.
- Lynch, John Patrick (1972). Aristotle's School; a Study of a Greek Educational Institution. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-52002-194-5.