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 Constantinopl ...

metropolitan church of the Greek city of

Arta Arta, ARTA, or Artà may refer to: Places Djibouti * Arta, Djibouti, a regional capital city in southeastern Djibouti * Arta Mountains, a mountain range in Djibouti * Arta Region, Djibouti Greece * Arta, Greece, a regional capital city in northwes ...

. Part of the building used to house the Archaeological Collection of Arta. The church was founded in ca. 1290 by the Despot of Epirus, Nikephoros I Komnenos Doukas (r. 1268–1297), and his second wife Anna Kantakouzene. The church eventually became bankrupt, and was turned into a dependency ('' metochion'') of the Monastery of Kato Panagia. 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 Anglican ...

. 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 ...

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 The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...

'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 or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

, 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