At the central square of Orchomenos, near the church of Panagia Scripou, is the wonderful small church of Agios Sozon, which for many years, as long as the church of Scripou was operational, it was the parish church of the settlement.
The monument dates from the 12th century, but there are not many testimonies regarding its history. It is a church of small dimensions, aisleless, with a dome and three conches, which have three sides on the exterior. Its walls are built with various materials, mainly from ancient stones and ceramic elements in second use, while the dome is more elegantly built. The dome has twelve sides and is considered to be unique of its kind, since this shape is encountered mainly in churches in Constantinople.
At the interior of the church survive fragments of wall paintings, which belong to two main stages, one at the end of the 12th or the 13th century and one at the 16th century. The older ones are the work of a very capable of artist. At the conch of the altar area the Virgin Mary is depicted enthroned among adoring angels, while from the rest of the representations what stand out are the crosses on both sides of the entrance, which are related to the cemetery character that the church probably had initially. The later wall paintings survive in fragments, mainly on the lower part of the walls, and are attributed by certain scholars to the well-known workshop of Kontaris brothers, who came from Thebes.
The church celebrates on the 7th of September.
Informations
Additional
Date:
12th century
Celebrates:
7 September
Holy Metropolis:
Thebes and Levadia
Under the Supervision of:
Ephorate of Antiquities of Boeotia
Address:
Orchomenos 32300
Access:
Car, bus
Parking:
Free
