The Church of the Parigoritissa or Paregoretissa ( el, Παναγία ἠ Παρηγορήτισσα, ,

Panagia Panagia ( el, Παναγία, fem. of , + , the ''All-Holy'', or the ''Most Holy''; pronounced ) (also transliterated Panaghia or Panajia), in Medieval and Modern Greek, is one of the titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern ...

of Consolation) is the 13th-century

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantin ...

metropolitan church of the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

city of Arta. Part of the building used to house the

Archaeological Collection of Arta The Archaeological Museum of Arta is a museum in Arta, Greece. It was established in 1973 as the Archaeological collection of Arta, and used to be housed in the 13th-century Paregoretissa church. The collection has now been moved to a brand new, ...

. The church was founded in ca. 1290 by the

Despot of Epirus The despot of Epirus was the ruler of the Despotate of Epirus, one of the successor states of the Byzantine Empire in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade. The name "Despotate of Epirus" and the title "despot of Epirus" are modern historiographical ...

Nikephoros I Komnenos Doukas Nikephoros I Komnenos Doukas, Latinized as Nicephorus I Comnenus Ducas ( el, Νικηφόρος Κομνηνός Δούκας, Nikēphoros Komnēnos Doukas; – ) was ruler of Epirus from 1267/8 to his death in 1296/98. Life Born around 1240 ...

(r. 1268–1297), and his second wife Anna Kantakouzene. The church eventually became bankrupt, and was turned into a dependency (''

metochion A ''metochion'' or ''metochi'' ( gr, μετόχιον, metóchion or gr, μετόχι, metóchi; russian: подворье, podvorie) is an ecclesiastical embassy church within Eastern Orthodox tradition. It is usually from one autocephalous or ...

'') of the

Monastery of Kato Panagia A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

. In 1578, it is attested as a female

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglic ...

. The church is a large, almost square three-storey building. It is of the octagonal type, with the central dome supported by eight piers divided into three tiers. There are also four smaller domes on each corner of the church's flat roof, and a lantern. Its interior decoration is rich, with marble

revetment A revetment in stream restoration, river engineering or coastal engineering is a facing of impact-resistant material (such as stone, concrete, sandbags, or wooden piles) applied to a bank or wall in order to absorb the energy of incoming water a ...

up to the level of the galleries, and extensive surviving mosaics and frescoes above that. On the dome the mosaic of the Pantokrator, surrounded by angels, and 12 prophets between the drum's windows. These mosaics were probably executed by artists from outside Epirus. 16th-century frescoes by the painter Ananias survive in the

altar An altar is a Table (furniture), table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of wo ...

, while 17th-century frescoes decorate the main church. The church's decoration also displays a number of Western influences in its statuary, such as Romanesque monsters and reliefs depicting Biblical scenes.

References

External links

Church of Panaghia “Parigoritissa” (discoverarta)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parigoritissa Churches completed in 1290 13th-century Eastern Orthodox church buildings Arta, Greece Despotate of Epirus Byzantine church buildings in Epirus (region) Eastern Orthodox church buildings in Greece Buildings and structures in Arta (regional unit) 13th-century churches in Greece Church buildings with domes

See also

References

External links