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HOLY MONASTERY OF SPILIA

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HOLY MONASTERY

OF SPILIA

THE PAINTING

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THE LARGEST PART
OF THE DECORATIVE
PAINTING HAS SURVIVED, EXCEPT FOR THE WEST ARCH
AND THE WEST WALL.

christ Pantocrator with angelic forces dominates the transversal arch and four evangelists are depicted in the corners. The row of prophets extends to the east arc and completes the typical program of a dome which has been adjusted to the rectangular vault of the monastery of Spilia. The Bema depicts topics inspired from the Divine Liturgy such as the Communion of the Apostles, the Angelic Liturgy, the vision of Saint Peter of Alexandria and the Utmost Humiliation of Christ. The Theotokos Platytera is depicted as a living presence of the incarnation of Christ on the quarter sphere and the Ascension is depicted on the pediment. The program includes deacons, stylites and prelates and also the local saints Achilleios and Oikoumenios. The main iconographic cycle of the church begins from the east arch with the Annunciation, the Nativity, the Baptism and the Presentation and would continue on the west arch with scenes of the Passion which have not survived. The main parts of evangelic history, the Transfiguration and Resurrection which are depicted on most Agiorit churches on the side apses are located also there in this church and the narrative ends with the Assumption of Mary on the west wall and a few scenes of the Psaltologion on the east arch (the Noli me tangere, 'touch me not', the 'All Hail' of Myrohpores, the Healing of the Paralytic). The lower zone depicts whole-body saints out of which the military saints George and Dimitrios are the most distinguishable on the first place of the side apses and on the directly overhead zone where miracles are usually depicted in other churches we see here scenes of the saints' martyrdom. On the western part of the church, where the permanent seat of the ascetics is, are the great establishers of monarchism i.e. Antonios, Efthymios, Savvas. In this way and despite the small size of the church the program includes representative scenes from all cycles. The painter of the church chose anonymity which was not common in the region of Agrafa during the 17th century, where most painters and mainly local painters used to sign their works. It seems to belong to some traveling workshop of Epirus or west Macedonia as indicated by the presence of Saint Govdeleas, the mountain types and also the clothing and the movement of saints while it was invited for the quality it indisputably has. In the middle of the 17th century the workshop of the two Johns booms in Argithea which is one of the best in Agrafa and appears in the neighboring monastery of Vlasio in 1644 and then everywhere in Drosato, Mavrommati, Anthiro and Oxya. This workshop is influenced by the Cretan School of painting and especially by its local variation in the monastery of Petra. During the same time other traveling workshops emerge in the region which are mainly influenced by the School of Epirus, like the painters of the monastery of Vragiana (1645), the monastery of Spilia, the church of Christ in Petrilo (after 1663) and those in Rentina in east Agrafa. The variety of painting trends proves the intense artistic movement of the region and the creation of blends which lead to the diversification of the commissionaires' preferences. The painter of the katholikon of the monastery of Spilia shows excellent skill in the means of painting and color sensitivity and prefers warmer shades while giving a sense of volume to the faces thus leaving a distinctive brown proplasmos on the outline. The painter's work can be dated back to the year 1670 according to comparisons with other monuments of Agrafa. Its main iconographic characteristics are later used by the painter of the neighboring monastery of Profitis Ilias of Petrochori, which is an indication of the status achieved by the monastery of Spilia whilst influences were later found in the monastery of Kosti (1759), too. The old katholikon has currently a new icon screen, which is a copy of the old and has been cold plated. The monastery keeps relics of the old icon screen which can be dated back to the middle of the 17th century and includes a part of the row of the 'Great Deesis', (apostle readings), with eight figures under alcoves and also a part from the row of the Twelve Great Feasts with 10 scenes where the Annunciation, the Nativity, the Presentation and the Baptism are evident. There are also arched parts which were part of the icon screen's clad or possibly parts of the choir (candle chandelier). They have an interesting perforated decoration with birds picking fruit.

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IMAGES

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