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46-410: The Daphni Monastery, along with the famous monasteries of Hosios Loukas near Delphi and Nea Moni on the island of Chios , are designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites for their significant historical and architectural value. These monasteries are famed as masterpieces of middle Byzantine architecture, and are especially noted for their sumptuous interior gold-ground mosaics. The Daphni Monastery

92-463: A rood . However, some other Protestant traditions depict the cross without the corpus, interpreting this form as an indication of belief in the resurrection rather than as representing the interval between the death and the resurrection of Jesus. Several Christian cross variants are available in computer-displayed text. A Latin cross ("†") is included in the extended ASCII character set, and several variants have been added to Unicode , starting with

138-401: A larger cathedral church, or Katholikon , tentatively dated to 1011-12. The Katholikon is the earliest extant domed-octagon church, with eight piers arranged around the perimeter of the naos ( nave ). The hemispherical dome (without a drum) rests upon four squinches which make a transition from the octagonal base under the dome to the square defined by the walls below. The main cube of

184-571: A likeness of the newly built church to the saint. The saint Nicholas the Pilgrim , a local shepherd, lived for some time in the second half of the eleventh century in the monastery until he was expelled due to his abnormal behaviour. Under the Latin Empire in 1206, the legate Benedict of Porto gave Hosios Loukas to the canons of the Holy Sepulchre . The Hosios Loukas, the oldest in the complex,

230-565: A plus sign, while the Latin cross designates a cross with an elongated descending arm. Numerous other variants have been developed during the medieval period . Christian crosses are used widely in churches, on top of church buildings, on bibles, in heraldry, in personal jewelry, on hilltops, and elsewhere as an attestation or other symbol of Christianity. Crosses are a prominent feature of Christian cemeteries , either carved on gravestones or as sculpted stelae . Because of this, planting small crosses

276-518: A sanctuary with a vaulted bay and an apse ; and three vaulted passages, referred to formerly as bone vaults. The crypt’s frescoes were until recently covered in hundreds of years of dust and hidden but in the 1960s the crypt underwent a cleaning by the Greek Archaeological Service which revealed their remarkably well preserved state with the exceptions of the apse which has lost most of its plaster exposing brick and stone, as well as

322-538: A scenic site on the slopes of Mount Helicon . It was founded in the early 10th century AD by the hermit , Venerable (Greek: Hosios ) Luke of Steiris (Greek: Lukas ), whose relics are kept in the monastery to this day. St Luke (not to be confused with the Evangelist author of the Gospel of Saint Luke ), was a hermit who died on 7 February 953. He is famous for having predicted the conquest of Crete by Emperor Romanos. It

368-449: Is a historic walled monastery situated near the town of Distomo , in Boeotia , Greece . Founded in the mid-10th century, the monastery is one of the most important monuments of Middle Byzantine architecture and art , and has been listed on UNESCO 's World Heritage Sites since 1990, along with the monasteries of Nea Moni and Daphnion . The monastery of Hosios Loukas is situated at

414-470: Is evidence that the monastery was reputed all over Byzantium for its lavish decoration, liberally applied to all surfaces. Apart from revetment, carving, gold and silver plate, murals , and mosaics (especially imposing on curving surfaces), the interior featured a choice assortment of icons , chandeliers , silk curtains, and altar cloths . Only a fraction of these items are still in situ , most notably colored marble facings and window grilles. Notwithstanding

460-495: Is sometimes used in countries of Christian culture to mark the site of fatal accidents, or, such as the Zugspitze or Mount Royal , so as to be visible over the entire surrounding area. Catholic , Anglican and Lutheran depictions of the cross are often crucifixes, in order to emphasize that it is Jesus that is important, rather than the cross in isolation. Large crucifixes are a prominent feature of some Lutheran churches, e.g. as

506-493: Is the only church known with certainty to have been built in the tenth century in its site in mainland Greece. This centralized parallelogram-shaped building is the oldest example of the cross-in-square type in the country; its plan closely follows that of Lips Monastery in Constantinople . The walls are opus mixtum (part brick, part stone, part marble) and display curious pseudo-kufic patterns. The Hosios Loukas adjoins

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552-562: The Eucharist was likely celebrated here as part of the services of burial and commemoration of revered religious figures, or as part of the ceremonies relating to the healing cult of Saint Luke . When Hosios Loukas was frequented by pilgrims or members of Saint Luke ’s healing cult , visitors would sleep not only in the Katholikon , but in the crypt itself where the tomb was kept along with two others, believed to be abbots . Saint Luke

598-399: The tomb or in adjacent rooms. Greek cross The Christian cross , with or without a figure of Christ included, is the main religious symbol of Christianity . A cross with a figure of Christ affixed to it is termed a crucifix and the figure is often referred to as the corpus ( Latin for "body"). The term Greek cross designates a cross with arms of equal length, as in

644-554: The Greek cross. The interior of The Daphni Monastery has an elegant interplay of spaces and light with the windows at the base of the dome illuminating the vertical space above; as the space becomes taller, it also become brighter. This graduated light enhances the radiant gold-ground tesserae used to create the remarkable quality of the mosaics. The unknown artist was from the early Komnenian period ( c.  1100 ). The wide assortment of colored shades of glass tesserae further enhances

690-487: The Heavens while the lower area symbolizes the earth. A square bay in the center of the church is covered by a broad dome. Squinches, small half-domes that span the corner of a square are connected by tall L-shaped piers to form the transition from the square to the circle of the dome. The four squinches in the square bay transform it into an octagon. The wall surfaces fan out at the top above the squinches and join together to form

736-542: The Latin cross in version 1.1. For others, see Religious and political symbols in Unicode . Basic variants, or early variants widespread since antiquity . A total number of 15 variants. [REDACTED] For use in documents made using a computer, there are unicode code-points for these crosses. (Some systems display these symbols in colour or with a background colour: this is a default font setting and may be changed by choosing

782-480: The Middle Byzantine period." It is believed that most if not all of the crypt frescoes were painted after 1048 AD and the death of Theodore Leobachus, a wealthy, government elite believed to have been one of the prominent patrons and who later in life became the abbot of Hosios Loukas. The sanctuary of the crypt contains a prosthesis niche, an altar , and a chancel barrier which all indicate that

828-578: The Pantokrators in the Byzantine lands, from Kiev to Cefalu, this is the most awe-inspiring and convincing". Christ is wearing a purple robe and a blue mantle, he is the King of Kings and shows strength, austerity and power. The artist created a bold and realistic drawing, executed with very simple means. The eyebrows are shown with a strong arch to accentuate the vertical lines and the long nose that intersects with

874-665: The Turks and the visit of Sultan Mehmed II to Athens, the Cistercians abandoned the Daphni Monastery and the Duchy of Athens was abolished. The exterior of the church has a cloisonné style, which is very common for middle Byzantine churches in Greece. The cloisonné style of masonry consists of rectangular blocks of stone separated or framed on all four sides by bricks. The windows are set off from

920-609: The anatomy is not true to life. The faces of Saint John and the Madonna have the flatness and heavy lines of the Byzantine style, but they express the calm of Greek statues. According to the Encyclopædia Britannica , "the ensemble represents a visualization of the Christian cosmos , its effect created by an intricately conceived interplay of pictures and architecture. Space in fact fuses the decoration into one giant image, in which

966-525: The case of Daphni, it is believed the glass was created on site. This group of mosaics is considered one of the most important and best-preserved mosaic cycles from this period. They are evidence of the iconographic and stylistic conceptions formulated at the end of the iconoclastic crisis (AD 843) by the Church of Constantinople . The decoration shows a rigid consistency in the distribution of subject characteristic of Constantinopolitan art. In Byzantine theology,

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1012-471: The church are immediately drawn to the most important and famous of the mosaics: Christ Pantocrator (Lord of the Universe) watching over all from the crown of the dome. He is depicted with a stern face and a threatening gaze with only his head and shoulders shown. This medallion is recognized as representing exceptional artistic quality: it has been described as “one of the greatest creations in art” and "[o]f all

1058-415: The church building was a symbol of the Christian universe, intended to reflect the splendor of heaven. A standardized program in Byzantine churches established the order in which the representations were arranged. The most sacred characters were depicted in the dome and the apse, while below, the dome scenes were arranged from higher to lower levels relating to their level of religious importance. Visitors to

1104-573: The church is surrounded by galleries and chapels on all four sides. Hosios Loukas is the largest of three monasteries surviving from the Middle Byzantine period in Greece. It differs from the Daphnion and Nea Moni in that it is dedicated to a single military saint . St. Lukes' prophecy about the reconquest of Crete is commemorated by the image of Joshua on the exterior wall of the Panagia church: Joshua

1150-409: The circular base of the dome. A Greek cross is formed by four barrel-vaulted arms of the same length that project from the center bay. Small bays covered with groin vaults (ceilings made up of two barrel vaults) that intersect at right angles give the building its rectangular shape. The bays that fill in the cross are only one-story high and with a low-level of illumination to subordinate them from

1196-462: The cloisonné work by arched frames made of brick. The contrast between the light color of the stone blocks of the cloisonné and the red bricks around the windows, and the orange roof create a sophisticated and understated elegance. The floor plan for the Church of Daphni is a simple Greek cross-octagon arranged with various levels of light and illumination. The upper church, particularly the dome symbolizes

1242-461: The dominant figure in the church. The prophets are wearing ancient garments and hold a parchment containing text proclaiming the glory of Christ or the Second Coming . On the pendentives there are four scenes from the life of Christ. The Crucifixion scene shows three figures: Christ on the cross, with Mary and Saint John are at the foot of the cross, one on each side. The figures are arranged in

1288-539: The entrance vault and groin vaults which have suffered slight damage from water seepage and minor vandalism, mostly on the lower lunettes near the entrance. The crypt contains frescoes on the entryway and its vault, eight lunettes around the walls with depictions of Christ’s Passion and Resurrection , and forty medallion portraits of apostles , martyrs and holy men, abbots including Philotheos , as well as numerous inscriptions. C.L. Connor claims it has "the most complete programme of wall paintings surviving from

1334-482: The horizontal lines of the halo to create a symbolic cross. Several studies have been conducted in an attempt to determine whether significant changes have been made during restorations to the appearance of the Christ Pantocrator mosaic, but there is general agreement that changes have not been significant. Christ is surrounded by sixteen Prophets at the base of the dome, between the windows that illuminate Christ as

1380-613: The icons of the Bishops, Monks and the Martyrs. The pictorial perspective, the figure styles and gestures, the modeling of the figures along with simplicity of design, and the dazzling splendor of color reflecting from the gold and silver tesserae distinguish the Daphni mosaics among the mosaics of the eleventh and twelfth centuries as particularly grand specimens of Byzantine art in general. Hosios Loukas Hosios Loukas ( Greek : Ὅσιος Λουκᾶς )

1426-472: The juncture of the two churches. The monastery derived its wealth (including funds required for construction) from the fact that the relics of St. Luke were said to have exuded myron , a sort of perfumed oil which produced healing miracles. Pilgrims hoping for miraculous help were encouraged to sleep by the side of the tomb in order to be healed by incubation . The mosaics around the tomb represent not only St. Luke himself, but also hegumen Philotheos offering

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1472-400: The lamp above the tomb, moisture exuded from the tomb, and dreams experienced when sleeping near the tomb in the practice called incubation .” The tomb was frequented before and after the completion of the complex, but following completion it became the focal point of the miracle cult of Saint Luke . There is evidence that some wishing for miracles stayed for periods of up to six days near

1518-463: The losses, the Katholikon "gives the best impression available anywhere today of the character of a church interior in the first centuries after the end of Iconoclasm ". Beneath the great domed Katholikon is a burial crypt , accessible only by a stairwell on the southern side. The crypt has three distinct areas: the entrance way; the main interior space which includes nine groin-vaulted bays and

1564-460: The mosaics. Several important studies have been conducted on the composition of the glass used in the tesserae for these mosaics as the unusually bright color of the gold-ground tesserae and the deep brilliance of the colors combine with important stylistic qualities to make these mosaics unique One of the factors that identifies mosaics from different areas is the variance in glass used. The glass can be crafted locally or imported from other areas; in

1610-674: The ruler, hailed by the prophets surrounding him, presides in his sphere above the host of saints that people the lower part of the room." Other important mosaics include: Prayers of Joachim and Anna, Annunciation of Joachim, The Virgin with Anna, The Washing of the Disciples, Christ at the Last Supper, The Crucifixion, The Resurrection, Dormition of the Mother of God, Angel to Receive the Mother of God, Prophet Sophonia, St. Bacchus. Byzantine art often survives as an ecclesiastical art. The Daphni Monastery

1656-442: The shape of a triangle against the empty golden background. Each figure is separate and unified with the other figures. This balanced arrangement is similar to the way Greek sculptors placed their figures in the pediments of temples. The figure of St. John is depicted in a bending position, with his weight on one leg – a pose used by Greek sculptors. The body of Christ is depicted in a classic, athletic style, but unlike Greek sculpture,

1702-468: The site was constructed in the style of a castle with a basilica in the middle. It was fortified with enclosing walls and small cells that were usually just inside the walls and used by monks or nuns. The walls were attached to the church rather than standing free around the perimeter of the property and one of the columns from Apollo was built into the southern wall of the church. Some of the rectangular blocks of porous stone were also salvaged and used in

1748-584: The site, as it was re-used in the Daphni Monastery. The other columns were removed and taken to London by Thomas Bruce, Earl of Elgin (best-known for taking the Parthenon Marbles). The columns, column bases, and column tops from the Sanctuary of Apollo are currently in the possession of the British Museum ; they are currently not on display but can be seen on the museum’s website . The first monastery on

1794-467: The western outer wall of the church. This first monastery fell into decline when Greece was severely damaged following invasions of barbarians from the North and the sea in the ninth and tenth Centuries A.D. During a period of renewed prosperity In the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the Daphni Monastery was restored. A new octagonal church, a refectory and a chapel for the cemetery were built. The old basilica

1840-458: Was believed to have been a miraculous healer, levitator , miraculous feeder and prophesier during his lifetime; after his death, all of the miracles associated with him involved the healing power of his tomb. Connor says that accounts in The Vita of St. Luke, written by an anonymous monk , indicate that “healing agents” associated with the tomb include but are not limited to exposure to “oil from

1886-435: Was built during a period of renaissance in culture and art and a return to classical traditions. The figures in the mosaics are more naturalistically represented, and they blend more smoothly into their surroundings The decoration of the monastery is inspired by the spirit of the times. Faces are dematerialized, austere and depicted with unemotional expressions. The bodies are heavy and rigid, common characteristics in depicting

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1932-408: Was completely demolished except for the enclosing walls and cells from the former church which were incorporated into the new church. Traces of old frescoes found on the walls show a person with bands, perhaps Emperor Basil II , holding a scroll. The craftsmanship used in the church construction suggests Basil II brought in workers from Constantinople . The Daphni Monastery fell into decline after it

1978-537: Was considered a model "warrior of the faith", whose help was especially effective in the wars waged against the Arabs. The Katholikon contains the best preserved complex of mosaics from the period of the Macedonian Renaissance . However, the complex is not complete: the original image of Christ Pantocrator inside the dome is missing, as are the figures of archangels normally placed between the upper windows. There

2024-532: Was founded towards the end of the sixth century A.D. on the site of the Sanctuary of Apollo which had been desecrated by the Goths in 395. The Sanctuary of Apollo was built in the Ionic style using the thinnest and smallest columns. The columns stand on a base with an ornamental scroll at the top. A few of the columns of the temple have been preserved. One of the four Ionic columns of the ancient Sanctuary of Apollo remains at

2070-557: Was sacked by Frankish crusaders in 1205. The region became part of the Duchy of Athens under Othon de la Roche . Othon gave the Daphni Monastery to the Cistercian Abbey of Bellevaux , who added their own cloister and twin pointed arches in the Gothic style to the façade of the church. The Daphni Monastery became a popular burial place for Knights. In 1458, immediately after the coming of

2116-466: Was unclear if he was referring to Romanos I , the emperor at the time. However the island was actually reconquered by Nicephorus Phocas under Romanos II . It is believed that it was during the latter's reign (959-963) that the monastery's Church of the Theotokos ( Panagia ) was constructed. The main shrine of the monastery is the tomb of St. Luke, originally situated in the vault, but later placed at

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