The church at Saint Sophia, Mytikas (anc. Alyzia), is a three-aisled basilica dated to the later ... more The church at Saint Sophia, Mytikas (anc. Alyzia), is a three-aisled basilica dated to the later part of the fifth or the early sixth century. Excavated in the '70s and '80s of the previous century, the church is not yet published. This study focuses on the funerary use of the annexes flanking the north side and on the monumental tomb erected in the north aisle. Τhe character of the burial chambers and the tomb are revealing the collective memory of the late antique community of Alyzians who wanted to preserve both the family ties and the spiritual ties with the deceased. Art, and especially architecture, sculpture, and poetry are the means for organizing and unifying the two sides of a wall.
The study embarks on the marble slabs of the three-aisled basilica of Mytikas, Akarnania, a cemet... more The study embarks on the marble slabs of the three-aisled basilica of Mytikas, Akarnania, a cemetery church at a small coastal settlement, to the south of Nikopolis, the capital of the province of Epirus Vetus. They belong to three distinct groups: the first comprises solid plaques decorated with crosses in relief, the second is formed by slabs with perforated scale motifs and lozenges, and the third includes perforated floral and geometric patterns. The plaques of the first group were made for a monumental tomb dedicated to an "adorable man," probably a high-rank member of the late antique local community, erected in the north aisle. The slabs of the other two groups were fastened to small pillars and closed the sanctuary area as well as the east ends of the side aisles. The iconographic and technical study of the slabs of the Mytikas basilica helps us to better understand the role of the decoration, the relation between the location of the slabs and their ornaments, as well as the symbolism of their motifs. Moreover, the similarities found with marble plaques found in basilicas on the coasts of the Aegean, the Ionian and the Adriatic Seas, indicate the commercial sea routes of their trade.
Silver and gold alloys have been widely applied in the making of precious objects during the byza... more Silver and gold alloys have been widely applied in the making of precious objects during the byzantine and post byzantine eras. A major category is the "ecclesiastical silver", which was used in the celebration of the liturgy (chalices, disks, asterisks, blessing and benediction crosses, processional crosses, liturgical fans, wedding crowns etc.). This study focuses on post-byzantine ecclesiastical silver chalices, kept in parish churches and monasteries of Eastern Thessaly. They have been studied with non-destructive analysis technique (XRF) for the clarification of the role of gold (Au) in the Silver – Copper – Gold alloy. The main question answered in this work is whether gold (Au) was part of the compositional alloy or decorative and moreover if it was applied with amalgamation procedure (Au - Hg alloy). By using X-Ray fluorescence spectroscopy, mathematic procedures for data processing it is proved that in all cases gold was decorative and applied with fire gilding am...
Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry 20/1 (2020), 189-203
Silver and gold alloys have been widely applied in the making of precious objects during the byza... more Silver and gold alloys have been widely applied in the making of precious objects during the byzantine and post byzantine eras. A major category is the "ecclesiastical silver", which was used in the celebration of the liturgy (chalices, disks, asterisks, blessing and benediction crosses, processional crosses, liturgical fans, wedding crowns etc.). This study focuses on post-byzantine ecclesiastical silver chalices, kept in parish churches and monasteries of Eastern Thessaly. They have been studied with non-destructive analysis technique (XRF) for the clarification of the role of gold (Au) in the Silver-Copper-Gold alloy. The main question answered in this work is whether gold (Au) was part of the compositional alloy or decorative and moreover if it was applied with amalgamation procedure (Au-Hg alloy). By using X-Ray fluorescence spectroscopy, mathematic procedures for data processing it is proved that in all cases gold was decorative and applied with fire gilding amalgamation process. Thus, in this work, it is proved that "fire mercury process" was the primary procedure for gilding ecclesiastical silver in Eastern Thessaly in the post-byzantine period.
στο: Σδρόλια Στ., επιμ., Εκκλησία και τέχνη στη Θεσσαλία το 16ο αιώνα, Πρακτικά επιστημονικής συν... more στο: Σδρόλια Στ., επιμ., Εκκλησία και τέχνη στη Θεσσαλία το 16ο αιώνα, Πρακτικά επιστημονικής συνάντησης, Διαχρονικό Μουσείο Λάρισας, Λάρισα 2019, σ. 153-174
Yannis D. Varalis, "The Nativity of Christ on Late Antique Ivories", After Constantine 1 (2021) 5... more Yannis D. Varalis, "The Nativity of Christ on Late Antique Ivories", After Constantine 1 (2021) 55-67
NICOPOLIS B. Proceedings of the Second International Nicopolis Symposium (11-15 September 2002) / ΝΙΚΟΠΟΛΙΣ Β΄. Πρακτικά του Δευτέρου Διεθνούς Συμποσίου για τη Νικόπολη (11-15 Σεπτεμβρίου 2002), Jun 2007
Yannis D. VARALIS: Characteristics of the religious architecture of Nicopolis: parallelisms and d... more Yannis D. VARALIS: Characteristics of the religious architecture of Nicopolis: parallelisms and deviations
Five basilicas, dated from the end of the fifth to the early seventh centuries, are preserved in Nicopolis. The study of the architecture and of the liturgical structures of these churches from a new point of view may help to integrate the religious building characters of the city to the ecclesiastical architecture of the prefecture of Eastern Illyricum. Basilica Beta was the episcopal and Basilica Delta the cemetery church of Nicopolis at the end of the fifth or the beginning of the sixth centuries; they were completed only after the raids of the Vandals (474/475 A.D.), possibly at the time of emperor Anastasios. The Margarona Basilica Epsilon, dated also to the end of the fifth century, might have been a pilgrim church in the chora of Nicopolis, on a strategic point at the entrance of the Ambracic gulf. During the justinianic period the city seem to have flourished, especially after the earthquakes of 522; Basilica Alpha was erected and decorated by two succeeding bishops of the city, namely Dometios I and II; the original phase of Basilica Gamma can be detected as also contemporaneous. The liturgical structures of these churches are far from isolated and outstanding – they follow similar structures found in churches of Thessalonica dated to the mid-fifth century, as the episcopal basilica under the actual St. Sophia and the extra muros basilica of the 3rd of September street. Two of the previously suggested characteristics of the religious architecture of Nicopolis may now be resituated in broader contexts and re-evaluated: the designation of the architectural type of four of the churches and the identification of the «diaconicon» prescribed by the Testamentum Domini Nostri Jesu Christi with the south-west annex of the Basilica Beta. Four of the Nicopolis churches cannot be listed among the «transept basilicas», since there was not any real transept on their roofing system; Basilicas Beta, Delta, Alpha and Epsilon seem to have had transverse rooms at either side of their eastern parts, possibly because they housed tombs or venerated relics at either side of their sanctuaries. The «diaconicon» of the Basilica Beta cannot be thought as an addition prescribed by the compiled text of the Testamentum, which was of Palestinian origin and of Ethiopian diffusion; it was a chapel added in a later, sixth-century phase and had nothing to do with the basilica itself
To xeqoygacpo ye ae~0.11, nou cpuhuaoetal o~q B~Ph~o8ljxq t q s BovAfi~ twv Ehhqvwv mqv AOqva, e ... more To xeqoygacpo ye ae~0.11, nou cpuhuaoetal o~q B~Ph~o8ljxq t q s BovAfi~ twv Ehhqvwv mqv AOqva, e i v a~ yvwm6 a n 6 x a~~6 atq f~~fih~oygarpial: n~6 x e~t a~ yla xaetcbo xcb6txa, o~a~w y~v o petayevkore~a pe Eljhlva ~~h c~u h h c r (61aor. 20,8x15,5 EX.), nou rceelkxe~ otcr 435 cpljhha tov to xeipevo t q s yvwmI!ls 7moQiag ~v~o p €~o 7 7~
The church at Saint Sophia, Mytikas (anc. Alyzia), is a three-aisled basilica dated to the later ... more The church at Saint Sophia, Mytikas (anc. Alyzia), is a three-aisled basilica dated to the later part of the fifth or the early sixth century. Excavated in the '70s and '80s of the previous century, the church is not yet published. This study focuses on the funerary use of the annexes flanking the north side and on the monumental tomb erected in the north aisle. Τhe character of the burial chambers and the tomb are revealing the collective memory of the late antique community of Alyzians who wanted to preserve both the family ties and the spiritual ties with the deceased. Art, and especially architecture, sculpture, and poetry are the means for organizing and unifying the two sides of a wall.
The study embarks on the marble slabs of the three-aisled basilica of Mytikas, Akarnania, a cemet... more The study embarks on the marble slabs of the three-aisled basilica of Mytikas, Akarnania, a cemetery church at a small coastal settlement, to the south of Nikopolis, the capital of the province of Epirus Vetus. They belong to three distinct groups: the first comprises solid plaques decorated with crosses in relief, the second is formed by slabs with perforated scale motifs and lozenges, and the third includes perforated floral and geometric patterns. The plaques of the first group were made for a monumental tomb dedicated to an "adorable man," probably a high-rank member of the late antique local community, erected in the north aisle. The slabs of the other two groups were fastened to small pillars and closed the sanctuary area as well as the east ends of the side aisles. The iconographic and technical study of the slabs of the Mytikas basilica helps us to better understand the role of the decoration, the relation between the location of the slabs and their ornaments, as well as the symbolism of their motifs. Moreover, the similarities found with marble plaques found in basilicas on the coasts of the Aegean, the Ionian and the Adriatic Seas, indicate the commercial sea routes of their trade.
Silver and gold alloys have been widely applied in the making of precious objects during the byza... more Silver and gold alloys have been widely applied in the making of precious objects during the byzantine and post byzantine eras. A major category is the "ecclesiastical silver", which was used in the celebration of the liturgy (chalices, disks, asterisks, blessing and benediction crosses, processional crosses, liturgical fans, wedding crowns etc.). This study focuses on post-byzantine ecclesiastical silver chalices, kept in parish churches and monasteries of Eastern Thessaly. They have been studied with non-destructive analysis technique (XRF) for the clarification of the role of gold (Au) in the Silver – Copper – Gold alloy. The main question answered in this work is whether gold (Au) was part of the compositional alloy or decorative and moreover if it was applied with amalgamation procedure (Au - Hg alloy). By using X-Ray fluorescence spectroscopy, mathematic procedures for data processing it is proved that in all cases gold was decorative and applied with fire gilding am...
Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry 20/1 (2020), 189-203
Silver and gold alloys have been widely applied in the making of precious objects during the byza... more Silver and gold alloys have been widely applied in the making of precious objects during the byzantine and post byzantine eras. A major category is the "ecclesiastical silver", which was used in the celebration of the liturgy (chalices, disks, asterisks, blessing and benediction crosses, processional crosses, liturgical fans, wedding crowns etc.). This study focuses on post-byzantine ecclesiastical silver chalices, kept in parish churches and monasteries of Eastern Thessaly. They have been studied with non-destructive analysis technique (XRF) for the clarification of the role of gold (Au) in the Silver-Copper-Gold alloy. The main question answered in this work is whether gold (Au) was part of the compositional alloy or decorative and moreover if it was applied with amalgamation procedure (Au-Hg alloy). By using X-Ray fluorescence spectroscopy, mathematic procedures for data processing it is proved that in all cases gold was decorative and applied with fire gilding amalgamation process. Thus, in this work, it is proved that "fire mercury process" was the primary procedure for gilding ecclesiastical silver in Eastern Thessaly in the post-byzantine period.
στο: Σδρόλια Στ., επιμ., Εκκλησία και τέχνη στη Θεσσαλία το 16ο αιώνα, Πρακτικά επιστημονικής συν... more στο: Σδρόλια Στ., επιμ., Εκκλησία και τέχνη στη Θεσσαλία το 16ο αιώνα, Πρακτικά επιστημονικής συνάντησης, Διαχρονικό Μουσείο Λάρισας, Λάρισα 2019, σ. 153-174
Yannis D. Varalis, "The Nativity of Christ on Late Antique Ivories", After Constantine 1 (2021) 5... more Yannis D. Varalis, "The Nativity of Christ on Late Antique Ivories", After Constantine 1 (2021) 55-67
NICOPOLIS B. Proceedings of the Second International Nicopolis Symposium (11-15 September 2002) / ΝΙΚΟΠΟΛΙΣ Β΄. Πρακτικά του Δευτέρου Διεθνούς Συμποσίου για τη Νικόπολη (11-15 Σεπτεμβρίου 2002), Jun 2007
Yannis D. VARALIS: Characteristics of the religious architecture of Nicopolis: parallelisms and d... more Yannis D. VARALIS: Characteristics of the religious architecture of Nicopolis: parallelisms and deviations
Five basilicas, dated from the end of the fifth to the early seventh centuries, are preserved in Nicopolis. The study of the architecture and of the liturgical structures of these churches from a new point of view may help to integrate the religious building characters of the city to the ecclesiastical architecture of the prefecture of Eastern Illyricum. Basilica Beta was the episcopal and Basilica Delta the cemetery church of Nicopolis at the end of the fifth or the beginning of the sixth centuries; they were completed only after the raids of the Vandals (474/475 A.D.), possibly at the time of emperor Anastasios. The Margarona Basilica Epsilon, dated also to the end of the fifth century, might have been a pilgrim church in the chora of Nicopolis, on a strategic point at the entrance of the Ambracic gulf. During the justinianic period the city seem to have flourished, especially after the earthquakes of 522; Basilica Alpha was erected and decorated by two succeeding bishops of the city, namely Dometios I and II; the original phase of Basilica Gamma can be detected as also contemporaneous. The liturgical structures of these churches are far from isolated and outstanding – they follow similar structures found in churches of Thessalonica dated to the mid-fifth century, as the episcopal basilica under the actual St. Sophia and the extra muros basilica of the 3rd of September street. Two of the previously suggested characteristics of the religious architecture of Nicopolis may now be resituated in broader contexts and re-evaluated: the designation of the architectural type of four of the churches and the identification of the «diaconicon» prescribed by the Testamentum Domini Nostri Jesu Christi with the south-west annex of the Basilica Beta. Four of the Nicopolis churches cannot be listed among the «transept basilicas», since there was not any real transept on their roofing system; Basilicas Beta, Delta, Alpha and Epsilon seem to have had transverse rooms at either side of their eastern parts, possibly because they housed tombs or venerated relics at either side of their sanctuaries. The «diaconicon» of the Basilica Beta cannot be thought as an addition prescribed by the compiled text of the Testamentum, which was of Palestinian origin and of Ethiopian diffusion; it was a chapel added in a later, sixth-century phase and had nothing to do with the basilica itself
To xeqoygacpo ye ae~0.11, nou cpuhuaoetal o~q B~Ph~o8ljxq t q s BovAfi~ twv Ehhqvwv mqv AOqva, e ... more To xeqoygacpo ye ae~0.11, nou cpuhuaoetal o~q B~Ph~o8ljxq t q s BovAfi~ twv Ehhqvwv mqv AOqva, e i v a~ yvwm6 a n 6 x a~~6 atq f~~fih~oygarpial: n~6 x e~t a~ yla xaetcbo xcb6txa, o~a~w y~v o petayevkore~a pe Eljhlva ~~h c~u h h c r (61aor. 20,8x15,5 EX.), nou rceelkxe~ otcr 435 cpljhha tov to xeipevo t q s yvwmI!ls 7moQiag ~v~o p €~o 7 7~
Περιεχόμενα: Δημήτρης Ι. Κυρτάτας, «Αναζητώντας τη βυζαντινή Άνδρο», 19-43. Νικόλαος Γκιολές, «Πα... more Περιεχόμενα: Δημήτρης Ι. Κυρτάτας, «Αναζητώντας τη βυζαντινή Άνδρο», 19-43. Νικόλαος Γκιολές, «Παλαιοχριστιανική Άνδρος», 45-58, πίν. 1-9. Ανθή Κουτσούκου, «Το τετραπύργιο του Γαυρίου», 59-64, πίν. 10-13. Χαράλαμπος Πέννας, «Αποκαταστάσεις στα βυζαντινά μνημεία της Άνδρου και νεότερα αρχαιολογικά τεκμήρια», 65-78, πίν. 14-23. Σταύρος Β. Μαμαλούκος, «Η αρχιτεκτονική του ναού του Αγίου Ιωάννου του Θεολόγου στο Άνω Κόρθι της Άνδρου», 79-93, πίν. 24-41. Μαρίνα Βόγκλη, «Κεραμική από την ανασκαφή του Αγίου Ιωάννη Θεολόγου στο Κόρθι», 95-115, πίν. 42-51. Νίκος Βίττης, «H συντήρηση των τοιχογραφιών του Αγίου Ιωάννη Θεολόγου στο Κόρθι», 117-125, πίν. 52-59. Κλήμης Ασλανίδης, «Η μεσοβυζαντινή ναοδομία της Άνδρου και οι σχέσεις με την ηπειρωτική Ελλάδα και τα νησιά», 127-139, πίν. 60-69. Γιώργος Πάλλης, «Η μεσοβυζαντινή γλυπτική ως πηγή για την τοπογραφία και την ιστορία της Άνδρου», 141-153, πίν. 70-72. Γιάννης Βαραλής, «Η γλυπτική του 12ου αιώνα στην Άνδρο: ζητήματα προέλευσης και εργαστηρίων», 155-171, πίν. 73-76. Νίκος Πετρόχειλος, «Επιγραφικές μαρτυρίες για τη βυζαντινή Άνδρο», 173-195, πίν. 77-83.
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Papers by Yannis Varalis
Five basilicas, dated from the end of the fifth to the early seventh centuries, are preserved in Nicopolis. The study of the architecture and of the liturgical structures of these churches from a new point of view may help to integrate the religious building characters of the city to the ecclesiastical architecture of the prefecture of Eastern Illyricum.
Basilica Beta was the episcopal and Basilica Delta the cemetery church of Nicopolis at the end of the fifth or the beginning of the sixth centuries; they were completed only after the raids of the Vandals (474/475 A.D.), possibly at the time of emperor Anastasios. The Margarona Basilica Epsilon, dated also to the end of the fifth century, might have been a pilgrim church in the chora of Nicopolis, on a strategic point at the entrance of the Ambracic gulf. During the justinianic period the city seem to have flourished, especially after the earthquakes of 522; Basilica Alpha was erected and decorated by two succeeding bishops of the city, namely Dometios I and II; the original phase of Basilica Gamma can be detected as also contemporaneous. The liturgical structures of these churches are far from isolated and outstanding – they follow similar structures found in churches of Thessalonica dated to the mid-fifth century, as the episcopal basilica under the actual St. Sophia and the extra muros basilica of the 3rd of September street.
Two of the previously suggested characteristics of the religious architecture of Nicopolis may now be resituated in broader contexts and re-evaluated: the designation of the architectural type of four of the churches and the identification of the «diaconicon» prescribed by the Testamentum Domini Nostri Jesu Christi with the south-west annex of the Basilica Beta. Four of the Nicopolis churches cannot be listed among the «transept basilicas», since there was not any real transept on their roofing system; Basilicas Beta, Delta, Alpha and Epsilon seem to have had transverse rooms at either side of their eastern parts, possibly because they housed tombs or venerated relics at either side of their sanctuaries. The «diaconicon» of the Basilica Beta cannot be thought as an addition prescribed by the compiled text of the Testamentum, which was of Palestinian origin and of Ethiopian diffusion; it was a chapel added in a later, sixth-century phase and had nothing to do with the basilica itself
Five basilicas, dated from the end of the fifth to the early seventh centuries, are preserved in Nicopolis. The study of the architecture and of the liturgical structures of these churches from a new point of view may help to integrate the religious building characters of the city to the ecclesiastical architecture of the prefecture of Eastern Illyricum.
Basilica Beta was the episcopal and Basilica Delta the cemetery church of Nicopolis at the end of the fifth or the beginning of the sixth centuries; they were completed only after the raids of the Vandals (474/475 A.D.), possibly at the time of emperor Anastasios. The Margarona Basilica Epsilon, dated also to the end of the fifth century, might have been a pilgrim church in the chora of Nicopolis, on a strategic point at the entrance of the Ambracic gulf. During the justinianic period the city seem to have flourished, especially after the earthquakes of 522; Basilica Alpha was erected and decorated by two succeeding bishops of the city, namely Dometios I and II; the original phase of Basilica Gamma can be detected as also contemporaneous. The liturgical structures of these churches are far from isolated and outstanding – they follow similar structures found in churches of Thessalonica dated to the mid-fifth century, as the episcopal basilica under the actual St. Sophia and the extra muros basilica of the 3rd of September street.
Two of the previously suggested characteristics of the religious architecture of Nicopolis may now be resituated in broader contexts and re-evaluated: the designation of the architectural type of four of the churches and the identification of the «diaconicon» prescribed by the Testamentum Domini Nostri Jesu Christi with the south-west annex of the Basilica Beta. Four of the Nicopolis churches cannot be listed among the «transept basilicas», since there was not any real transept on their roofing system; Basilicas Beta, Delta, Alpha and Epsilon seem to have had transverse rooms at either side of their eastern parts, possibly because they housed tombs or venerated relics at either side of their sanctuaries. The «diaconicon» of the Basilica Beta cannot be thought as an addition prescribed by the compiled text of the Testamentum, which was of Palestinian origin and of Ethiopian diffusion; it was a chapel added in a later, sixth-century phase and had nothing to do with the basilica itself