Μονή Παναγίας Ολυμπιώτισσας | |
Monastery information | |
---|---|
Established | 1295/1304 |
Diocese | Metropolis of Elassona |
People | |
Founder(s) | Constantine Doukas and Theodore Angelos |
Architecture | |
Style | Byzantine architecture |
Site | |
Coordinates | 39°53′52.1″N 22°10′59.8″E / 39.897806°N 22.183278°E |
The Panagia Olympiotissa Monastery ( Greek: Μονή Παναγίας Ολυμπιώτισσας, lit. ' Panagia of Mount Olympus') is a Greek Orthodox monastery in Elassona, Thessaly, Greece.
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 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]
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]
Μονή Παναγίας Ολυμπιώτισσας | |
Monastery information | |
---|---|
Established | 1295/1304 |
Diocese | Metropolis of Elassona |
People | |
Founder(s) | Constantine Doukas and Theodore Angelos |
Architecture | |
Style | Byzantine architecture |
Site | |
Coordinates | 39°53′52.1″N 22°10′59.8″E / 39.897806°N 22.183278°E |
The Panagia Olympiotissa Monastery ( Greek: Μονή Παναγίας Ολυμπιώτισσας, lit. ' Panagia of Mount Olympus') is a Greek Orthodox monastery in Elassona, Thessaly, Greece.
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 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]
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]