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The Byzantine church at Alepospita, Phthiotis : new examples of architectural members and sculpture from its decoration

• Πάλλης, Γεώργιος

The sculptures from the destroyed Byzantine church that was near the village of Alepospita in Phthiotis on the northeastern slopes of Mt Oeta, are an important example of 12th century marble sculpture in central Greece. The 24th Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities has recently collected from the area round the church a number of previously-unknown architectural members and reliefs. These may be added to already-known works from this monument, published by the architect Sotiris Vogiatzis, most of which are on exhibit in the Byzantine Museum of Phthiotis.There is very little preserved evidence concerning the Byzantine church at Alepospita. It was situated near an important road that led from the Spercheios Valley to the Gulf of Corinth, and indications of antiquities coming from various periods have been found near its location. The church was built in the 12th century as the katholikon of a monastery, and was probably dedicated to the Metamorfosi tou Sotiros (Transfig uration of the Savior). The building’s form remains unknown, since it seems to have experienced successive destructions and re-buildings, including its final total reconstruction in 1963. It is confirmed that a monastery operated at the site during the period of Ottoman rule. The monastery was permanently closed in 1833.The new finds include parts of the shafts of unfluted monolithic columns, among which stand out two pieces of columns hewn from a light rose marble with white and gray veins. Given that this was a luxury material, it would be logical to assume that they were originally in the monastery's katholikon. A part of a white marble column with an inscribed isosceles cross on its shaft is also noteworthy.Another architectural member, probably to be recognized as a base, has an unusual shape. It consisted (proceeding upward) of a square plinth, a truncated conical tectonic section with beveled and slightly concave corners, a wide scotia framed by three volutes, and a cylindr ical section. The imperfections in its finishing and some elements in common with column bases from the 12th century church of the Virgin Mary in Souvala (Polydrosos) show that this particular member was probably carved on site for the monument.A large cubic column capital of hard gray limestone was found in relatively good condition. Its corners were beveled and in the form of aquatic leaves. Three of its sides were decorated with half-leaves around a schematic pear-shaped floral element. A Latin cross and a heart-shaped leaf were carved in relief on its front face. This is an unusual piece of work that belongs to a major and often creative high point for stone-cutting in the Greek world in the 12th century.Another architectural member from the monument is a part of a mullion with inherent colonnette featuring concave comers on its upper terminal. A similar mullion found built into the later church of Agios Ioannis in the modern village of Alepospita must also come from the Byzanti ne monastery.Also of interest are two pilaster or column capitals consisting of a low base and a slightly convex truncated pyramid. Joining fragments found in the area of the church revealed that their main face carried a central leaved cross inscribed in a rectangular frame. Column capitals of this type, with a simple cubic shape and limited decoration, are found primarily in the 12th century. Details of the sculptural decoration of these two pilaster or column capitals from Alepospita would suggest the same period.There also come from the area around the monument a small, undecorated gutter of white marble, of the plain type common in the Middle Byzantine period; these were normally set above the corner colonnettes of domes.A noteworthy new find is the lower terminal of the left post from a large doorway, five pieces of which were already known. Its beveled main face was decorated with a many-branched band of winding tendrils. The superb quality of its complex design and execution , displaying prismatic carving of a crystalline texture, may perhaps be compared with the architrave of the templon in the church of the Taxiarch at Mesaria on Andros, dated to 1158. At the same point there was found embedded the missing right edge of a relief that had been known as a templon architrave. Its main, beveled face was covered with spiral tendrils, above which a composition consisting of a bird dismembering an animal protrudes in high relief. When completed by the newly-discovered part, it was shown that the relief’s total length was too small for a templon architrave, while its shape, with protruding wings at the ends and a rough-hewn lower side, probably precludes its placement in the sanctuary. It would seem more correct to identify it as a doorway cornice, a category of sculpture with which it shares many common features, at least with 12th century works.Finally, other new finds included another piece from a door post with relief guilloche, a small fragment from a relief slab, and pieces from the monastery’s marble floor, which was decorated with a marble inlay displaying the motif of the five loaves. Also known from the flooring is a plaque with the tree of life, but it may also be connected with another plaque with a scene of birds that is today in the Castle of Lamia, its provenance unknown.While the above architectural members were found removed from their original position, most of them can be fairly securely attributed to the destroyed church at Alepospita, not only because they were found at the site of the church, but because for the most part they present shared features with those members already known, which would add them to the same architectural whole. Differences in the quality of their execution have been observed that may be due to different artisans belonging to the same workshop. Stylistically, the sculpture from the monument has been placed by Sotiris Vogiatzis between that of the church of the Taxiarch at Mesaria on And ros, the katholikon of the Monastery of Sagmata, the Monastery of Samarina in Messinia, and the Metropolis of Mystras. On the basis of the new finds, to these observations may be added obvious connections between the church at Alepospita, the church of the Virgin Mary at Souvala and the sculpture of Euboea. In contrast, there is no evidence for the proposed connection with the templon of Valcherna in Arta, which is later. The construction of the church at Alepospita and the creation of its exceptionally fine sculptural decoration belong to a period when monasticism was flourishing in Phthiotis, and when important monastery katholika were being built. However, the identity of this monument’s founders, like its overall history, remains obscure.

• History and Archaeology

• Αρχαιολογία
• Archaeology and religion
• Architecture and religion

Ευχαριστώ την κ. Αικ. Καλαντζή-Σμπυράκη και τον κ. Γ. Κακαβά. προϊσταμένους διαδοχικά της 24ης Εφορείας Βυζαντινών Αρχαιοτήτων, για την άδεια να μελετήσω το δημοσιευόμενο υλικό. Ευχαριστίες οφείλω, επίσης, στον επίτιμο διευθυντή της Διεύθυνσης Εθνικού Αρχείου Μνημείων του ΥΠΠΟ κ. Π. Πάντο, για τον εντοπισμό του αποσπάσματος της έκθεσης του Γεωργίου Σωτηρίου σχετικά με το ναό των Αλεπόσπιτων στο Αρχείο της Αρχαιολογικής Υπηρεσίας., Περιέχει εικόνες και επίμετρο, Το άρθρο περιέχεται στο τεύχος: Μέρος Α'-Μελέτες