Panagia Olympiotissa Monastery

Panagia Olympiotissa Monastery
Μονή Παναγίας Ολυμπιώτισσας
The katholikon of the monastery
Panagia Olympiotissa Monastery is located in Greece
Panagia Olympiotissa Monastery
Location within Greece
Interactive map of Panagia Olympiotissa Monastery
Monastery information
DenominationGreek Orthodox
Establishedc. 1295 – c. 1304
Dedicated to
Celebration date5 October
DioceseMetropolis of Elassona
People
Founders
Architecture
StatusMonastery
Functional statusActive
StyleByzantine
Site
LocationElassona, Thessaly
CountryGreece
Coordinates39°53′52.1″N 22°10′59.8″E / 39.897806°N 22.183278°E / 39.897806; 22.183278

The Panagia Olympiotissa Monastery (Greek: Μονή Παναγίας Ολυμπιώτισσας, lit. 'Panagia of Mount Olympus') is a Greek Orthodox monastery in Elassona, Thessaly, Greece.

History

The monastery is located on the medieval citadel of the town of Elassona, and was founded between 1295 and 1304,[1][2] probably by the co-rulers of Thessaly, the sebastokratores Constantine and Theodore.[3]

Only the main church (katholikon) survives from the original monastery complex. It comprises a domed main space with an ambulatory on three sides.[1][2] Its masonry is brick-enclosed, and features use of ancient spolia.[3] Various annexes were added at times to the katholikon, but none of them survives today, apart from a small chapel in the southern side, built in 1819 and dedicated to Saint Nektarios.[3]

The 14th-century frescoes that decorate its interior make it "one of the finest examples of Palaiologan-era architecture and painting".[1] Among the frescoes is a portrait of the Byzantine emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos (r. 1282–1328).[1] The wooden templon dates to 1840, was constructed by the master carver Demetrios of Metsovo.[3] In the church we can see oldest wooden Byzantine door in the world (11-13 century).[4]

In a 1342 sigillion of Patriarch John XIV Kalekas, the stauropegic status of the monastery is confirmed.[2] A forged chrysobull attributed to Andronikos III Palaiologos concerning the possessions of the monastery contains extensive estates and subsidiary establishments (metochia) as far as Larissa.[2] The monastery amassed great wealth, and was the major spiritual centre of the region, particularly during the 16th and 18th centuries.[3]

Today

Dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos, until the 18th century it is recorded also as dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Saviour.[3] The surname Olympiotissa derives from a famed icon of the Panagia, which is believed to have come from a no longer extant monastery at Karya, on the foot of Mount Olympus. Once a year, on 5 October, the icon is borne in a litany from the monastery to the Church of Saint Demetrios.[3]

Originally male, today it is a female monastery, and celebrates on 6 and 15 August.[3] The monastery also features a guest house, library, and a natural history museum.[3]

See also

  • Church of Greece
  • List of churches in Greece
  • List of Greek Orthodox monasteries in Greece

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Η Μονή της Παναγίας Ολυμπιώτισσας στην Ελασσόνα" (in Greek). Larissa Ephorate of Antiquities. Archived from the original on November 8, 2024. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d Koder, Johannes; Hild, Friedrich (1976). Tabula Imperii Byzantini, Band 1: Hellas und Thessalia (in German). Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften. p. 153. ISBN 978-3-7001-0182-6.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Ιερά Μονή Παναγίας Ολυμπιωτίσσης" (in Greek). Archbishopric of Athens. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
  4. ^ Negrău, Elisabeta (2024). ""The Gates of Eternal Life": Metamorphosis and Performativity in Middle to Late Byzantine Sculpted Church Doors (With a Case Study of a Wallachian Wooden Door)". Religions. 15 (6): 732. doi:10.3390/rel15060732.

Further reading

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