Archaelogical Sites, Museums, & Monuments in Central Greece

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CENTRAL GREECE
Archaelogical Sites, Museums, & Monuments

Delphi
- Ossios Loukas Monastery (Saint Loukas Monastery)
Thessaly

Meteora Monasteries

Epirus

DELPHI

Archaeological Site

In historical times the worship of Apollo succeeded that of Phoebe and Earth-Themis at the Delphic sanctuary which became famous for its oracle, one of the oldest in Greece. As in the case of Olympia, games used to be held in Delphi, likewise in honour of the deity and they were known as the Pythian Games but they were not confined to field events, since they included contests among poets, musicians. philosophers, etc. The temple of Apollo dominated in the center of the sanctuary's enclosure. The Sacred Way led up to the temple. It was lined by elegant buildings such as Treasuries, Arcades ("Stoas"), the Stoa of the Athenians being one of these. Administrative buildings included the seat of the Delphic Senate (Vouleutirion), the Prytaneion and the Club of the Knidians and, of course, hundreds of votive offerings. Masterpieces of sculpture were to be seen among the decorations of the Treasuries of the Sikyonians, the Sifnians and the Athenians. To the north stand the remains the theater and below the road are the ruins of the Gymnasium and the temples of Athena Pronoia (also known as "Marmaria") with the famous 4th century B.C. Tholos (Argade).

Museum

Tel: (0265) 82313

The more interesting of the architectural pieces exhibited come from the metopes of the Treasuries of the Sikyonians and of the Athenians and from the frieze and the carvings the Treasury of the Sifnians. All date from the 6th century B.C. The frieze on the Treasury of the Sifnians depicts the Judgment of Paris, the seizure of the Leukippides by the Dioskouri, the Assembly of the Olympian gods watching a battle in the Trojan War and a battle with giants. The pediment shows Apollo and Hercules struggling for possession of the Delphi Tripod. Some of the best sculptural works are those the twin Kouri, Kleovis and Viton (6th century B.C.), the bronze statue of the Charioteer exvoto of Polyzalos, King of Gela (5th century B.C.), the statue of Aghias (4th century B.C.), from the votive offering of Daochos, Antinoos (2nd century B.C.), etc. The Naxians presented a Sphinx as a votive offering (6th century B.C.). The Column of Dancing Girls is another votive offering and so is the Omphalos (Navel of the World) which is a copy made either in the Hellenistic the Roman period. Gilt, ivory and golden votive offerings from the archaeological site of Delphi and a silver bull in natural size, have also been recently exhibited in a separate room.

Ossios Loukas Monastery (Saint Loukas Monastery)

This is an 11th century A.D. Byzantine monastery dedicated to Saint Loukas Steiriotis from the Greek mainland. It has churches adjoining it which are completely unlike in every respect. The smaller and older church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and has slender proportions with its dome supported on four pillars. The interior contains the remains a few original frescoes. The larger church of Ossios Loukas, which is the monastery chapel, represents the fuller form of the so-called octagonal style which made its appearance in Greece at that time. This style of architecture implies a cruciform church with dome resting upon eight arches which in turn, rest upon walls and pillars which transfer the load to the outer walls. The dome thus becomes very large and covers the entire center portion of the church. The original dome fell in during an earthquake in 1593, but was rebuilt.

The church consists of a narthex, the main church and the altar. The outer narthex was added in the 16th century A.D. The exterior of the church carries much skilled masonry triple aperture windows, while inside, some excellent mosaics have been preserved. In the apse there are representations of the Virgin and Child on her Throne. The lower dome of the altar shows the Pentecost in circular form while the spherical triangles of the dome show the Annunciation, the Nativity, the Presentation and Baptism in the narthex, is the Washing of Christ's Feet, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection and the scene with Saint Thomas stretching forth his hand. At the northern end of the cross formed by church, is a crypt dedicated to Saint Barbara inside which is the tomb of Ossios Loukas.

Other points which can be visited in Central Greece are:
The Museums of Thermo (near Agrinio), Thebes, Chaironia (Heronia), Halkis, Eretria, Kaveiriou Archaeological Site (close to Thebes) and the Treasury of Minyas Orhomenos.

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THESSALY

In Thessaly there are the Larissa, Volos, and Almiros Museums to be seen, the Acropolis of Sesklo and the Archaeological Site of Vassilika at Anhialos and the monastic complex of Meteora.

Meteora

The Meteora Monasteries are perched upon the summits of some precipitous and isolated rocky pinnacles. They rise above the almost flat valley of the Pineios (Pinios) river, 9 km beyond Kalambaka in Thessaly.

The monastic history of the Meteora goes back to the Il th century A.D. when the first hermits sought peace and solitude in the rifts and caves of these rocks but the first monasteries were not built until the 14th century A.D.,attaining their peak in the 16th.
Of the 13 large and 20 small monasteries and hermit's cells,only four are now occupied. These are at: Megalo Meteoro, Moni Varlaam, Moni Aghias Triadas and Moni Aghiou Stefanou.

The most important of the group, Megalo Meteoro (also known as Moni Metamorfosseos Tou Sotiros), was built in the 14th century A.D. by Saint Athanassios Meteoritis on the rock until then called "Platylithos" and known thereafter as "Meteoro". The Monastery acquired wide fame in the days of the Orthodox Christian Serb monarch Symeon Uresis whose son John, a pupil of Athanassios, became a monk under the assumed name of Joasaph.

The Monastery chapel at Metamorfosis is of peculiar architecture with its tall and intricate dome with twelve sides and fine frescoes.

In the 15th century A.D. Antonios Katakouzinos, son of the Despot of Epirus, founded the Monastery of Aghios Stefanos. In the following century two more monasteries were added,one being the small Monastery of Roussanou and the other that of Varlaam where frescoes by Frangos Kastellanos survive. The refectory in the latter has been converted into a museum where ecclesiastical treasures are kept.

There are some very good frescoes by Theophanes Kritikos in the Monastery of Aghios Nikolaos Anapafsas.

Apart from portable icons, miniatures, ecclesiastical robes, utensils and crosses, all of them excellent examples of byzantine and post-Byzantine art, the Meteora Monasteries also contain rare editions and manuscripts

Moni Varlaam Tel: (0432) 22277
Moni Megalou Meteorou or Metamorfosseos Tou Sotiros Tel:(0432)22278
Moni Aghiou Stefanou . tel:(0432)22279
Moni Aghiou Nikolaou Anapafsa. Tel: (0432) 22375
Moni Aghias Triados. Tel:(0432)22220

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EPIRUS

In Epirus it is well worth the while to visit the Ioannina Archaeological and Municipal Museum, the Dodoni Archaeological Site, the Museum and Archaeological Site at Nikopolis near Preveza, the Acheron River Necromanteion (Oracle where the spirits of the dead were called upon) and the Kassopi Archaeological Site.

At Mouzakaioi (Mouzakei), 12 km out of Ioannina, there is a wax effigies museum. The exhibits cover historical, religious and folkloric subjects of the period 1611-1822.

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