St. Athanasius of Mouzaki ( el, Άγιος Αθανάσιος του Μουζάκη; al, Shën Thanasi i Muzakave) is a

Greek Orthodox The term Greek Orthodox Church ( Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also cal ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

located in

Kastoria Kastoria ( el, Καστοριά, ''Kastoriá'' ) is a city in northern Greece in the region of Western Macedonia. It is the capital of Kastoria regional unit, in the geographic region of Macedonia. It is situated on a promontory on the weste ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

. It was built in 1383–84 by the brothers Theodore II and Stoya of the house of

Muzaka The Muzaka were an Albanian noble family that ruled over the region of Myzeqe (southern Albania) in the Late Middle Ages. The Muzaka are also referred to by some authors as a tribe or a clan. The earliest historical document that mention Muzaka ...

, a noble Albanian family that controlled the city at the time, and dedicated to St. Athanasius It is considered one of the most important monuments of 14th century Kastoria and is the last church built in Kastoria before its annexation by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

Decorations

The church is decorated with scenes of saints dressed in Byzantine clothing, a typical feature of Byzantine iconography. The frescoes are remarkable for depicting for the first time in Byzantine iconography,

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

and the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

in imperial costume. The depiction of Virgin Mary as a queen is an atypical feature for the Byzantine iconography. Another unusual feature of the church is that, despite the fact that St. Alexander is traditionally not included among the ranks of military saints, the church of St Athanasius of Mouzaki is decorated with a portrait of St. Alexander in military clothing.

Legacy

The church influenced greatly the artistic production of

and

Western Macedonia Western Macedonia ( el, Δυτική Μακεδονία, translit=Ditikí Makedonía, ) is one of the thirteen regions of Greece, consisting of the western part of Macedonia. Located in north-western Greece, it is divided into the regional uni ...

in the late 14th and early 15th century.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Church of Saint Athanasius of Mouzaki Religious buildings and structures completed in 1387 14th-century Eastern Orthodox church buildings Eastern Orthodox church buildings in Greece Kastoria Byzantine church buildings in Greece Buildings and structures in Kastoria (regional unit) Muzaka family 14th-century architecture in Greece