Near the Metropolitan church of Kastoria, at a central point of the city, is the small church of Agios Athanasios of Mouzaki, one of the most important post Byzantine monuments of the wider area.
According to the founding inscription that survives on the western wall, the church was built and painted in the years 1383-1384 by the brothers Stoia and Theodoros Mouzakis, together with the priest-monk Dionysius. The two brothers were members of the Albanian Mouzakis family, which dominated the area of Kastoria in that period, before the Ottoman Occupation. In 1951 the monument was restored.
It is a small, aisleless, wooden-roofed church with a narthex on the west that was erected at a later date. At its interior there are a lot of icons with intense narrative character. There are scenes from the life of Christ and His passion, as well as a lot of isolated figures of saints, among them local saints and mainly military ones. Of particular interest of the representation of the Prayer, where Christ is depicted in an outfit of a priest as the High Priest and Virgin Mary with imperial outfit.
Informations
Additional
Date:
1383-1384
Season:
Byzantine
Holy Metropolis:
Kastoria
Under the Supervision of:
Ephorate of Antiquities of Kastoria
Access:
Car, bus
Access to People with Special Needs:
Yes
Parking:
Free parking
Schedule:
8:00-15:00
