Church of Panagia Krina

Near the village of Vavilli, approximately 10 kilometers from the city of Chios,is one of the most important Byzantine monuments of the island, the church of Panagia Krina, a name which probably is due to the nearby spring with a lot of water.

According to the founding inscription, the church was constructed in 1197 and its founder was Efstathios Kodratos, local ruler who is mentioned with the title “venerable”, and his wife, Eirine Doukaina Pagomeni. Architecturally it belongs to the island octagonal type with a large dome supported by an octagonal basis, and is considered the best replica of the catholicon of Nea Moni in Chios. It consists of the altar, the main church and the narthex, which used to serve as a family burial chapel of the founders, while the exonarthex is a later addition, of the 18th century. Its masonry is according to the characteristic method of that time, that is the so-called “recessed-brick technique”, which in combination with the ceramic decoration and the re-used architectural members create an elegant and light aspect. In 1881 parts of the monument were destroyed by an earthquake and were reconstructed in 1884.

The interior of the church is richly decorated with wall paintings from two different periods. The newer ones are the work of Michael Anagnostou Chomatzas, in 1734. Today they have been detached, in order to reveal the initial strata of the wall paintings from the end of the 12th century. They are attributed to an unknown artist and present special interest due to their unique style which records the transition from the more linear rendition to a more classical one, of the following period. What is impressive is that the wall paintings include the founders: at the narthex Kodratos and his wife, and at the altar area, in an honorary position among the Church Fathers, their uncle, Metropolitan of Hypaepa Stephanos Pepagomenos. The church initially possessed a marble screen, from which only fragments remains scattered around, some of them used again in various parts, during some old repair works of the building.