Listed 71 sub titles with search on: Sights for wider area of: "MAKEDONIA WEST Region GREECE" .
GREVENA (Prefecture) GREECE
The region of Grevena, both because of its terrain and its location,
became a passage
to Thessaly and Epirus.
Its stone bridges are important examples of vernacular craftsmanship during the
Turkish occupation.
Their names are linked with their setting, some distinctive feature,
or even with the name of the master builder or patron. They are frequently associated
with traditional folk legends and symbols. One old tale relates that Ali Pasha,
when he rebuilt the Roman road that passed through the region, also repaired the
bridges that were part of it.
One impressive example is the single-arched bridge of Aziz Aga. It
is 246 feet long and 10 feet wide with a span of 92 feet, reaching 53 feet at
its highest point. Other fine bridges in the region are the Spanos and Dotsiko
bridges (both the work of the master builder Georgios Lazos or Grangas), and the
bridge at the entrance to the gorge near the village of Spilaio.
By kind permission of:Ekdotike Athenon
This text is cited Nov 2003 from the Macedonian Heritage URL below, which contains image.
SIATISTA (Town) KOZANI
Most of the wealthier mansions still standing in Siatista date from
the second half of the 18th and the 19th century. Built by prosperous local merchants
in two of the town's neighborhoods (Yerania and Hora), they are rectangular in
plan and their comfortable upper storeys are richly ornamented.
The low entrance, usually found in the western wall, leads to an inner,
flagstone courtyard ('embati' or 'mesia') around which the various auxiliary spaces
are grouped (storerooms, cellars, etc.). One stone staircase communicates with
the middle floor, a second with the upper floor. On the middle floor,
arranged around an inner wooden balcony, are the 'iliakos' (sun room, the main
reception room) and the winter reception and living rooms ('heimoniatika'). The
upper floor contains the summer rooms ('kalokairina') arranged around a central
space, to the right and left of which are corridors, the lavatory and utility
rooms.
From outside, the mansions resemble fortresses since their lower section
(middle and ground floors), dressed with bare stone, is equipped with loopholes
and only a few barred windows. Conversely, the top floor is a light construction
of varnished wood with enclosed balconies ('sachnisia') at the corners and larger
openings (windows and transoms).
By kind permission of:Ekdotike Athenon
This text is cited Nov 2003 from the Macedonian Heritage URL below, which contains image.
The Poulko (or Poulkidis) mansion stands in the Yerania neighbourhood
and, as the inscription above the entrance testifies, its construction began in
1752.
Its facade, in the section just under the roof, is decorated with
stylized ornamental motifs (rosettes, stars) and a ship. In the upper rooms the
plaster transom windows can still be seen with their complex stained glass designs.
In addition, the decorated plaster fireplace in an upstairs room is
an exceptional work. Among the wall-paintings is one of Constantinople
that seems to depict its siege by the Turks.
By kind permission of:Ekdotike Athenon
This text is cited Nov 2003 from the Macedonian Heritage URL below, which contains images.
The Nerantzopoulos (or Hatziyiannidis) mansion is situated on Hora's
main square. According to the inscription on the facade, it was built in 1754
by Hatziyiannidis who was a merchant
in Budapest (Nerantzopoulos acquired the house
later).
Its decoration
and plaster-framed transoms are impressive. From the wooden ceiling in the 'iliakos'
(the main room) on the mezzanine hang sculptures of a melon and a sliced watermelon.
In the transoms, apart from their lovely plaster frames, of interest are the incised
designs, inscriptions and lines of verse. Artfully written on smoked glass, the
verses are composed in an old fashioned language and praise the beauty and magnificence
of the house.
By kind permission of:Ekdotike Athenon
This text is cited Nov 2003 from the Macedonian Heritage URL below, which contains images.
The Sanoukos mansion is situated in the Hora district; according to
an inscription in one of the rooms, it was built in 1742. The resistance of its
dynamic owner, Kyra-Sanouko, to a raid by Turkish Albanians in 1784 has been immortalized
in a local folk song.
The rooms on the upper floor are decorated with plaster transom window
frames and with painted
carved wooden ceilings. The murals in the 'kalos ondas' (best room) depict
plant and symbolic themes, while between the real transoms trompe l'oeil imitations
have been painted.
By kind permission of:Ekdotike Athenon
This text is cited Nov 2003 from the Macedonian Heritage URL below, which contains image.
The Kanatsoulis (or Hatzimichail) mansion is located in the Hora neighbourhood.
It was built in 1757, as the inscription reads, by Nikos Hatzimichail, a member
of a powerful family
of merchants from Siatista, who had offices in Vienna and other central European
cities.
The Hatzimichail mansion contains one of the most interesting series
of 19th century folk
paintings, which an inscription dates to 1811. In a room on the mezzanine,
named the "Pantheon", the wall-paintings depict scenes
from mythology -- based on a mythology handbook written by Harisis Megdanis,
a scholar from Kozani -- as well as portraits of the owner, his wife and a second
male figure, perhaps a relative.
By kind permission of:Ekdotike Athenon
This text is cited Nov 2003 from the Macedonian Heritage URL below, which contains images.
The Maliongas (or Argyriadis) mansion stands next to the Nerantzopoulos
mansion. Tradition has it that its construction began in 1759. An inscription
in one of the rooms upstairs dates some repairs and part of the decorative
painting to 1844.
The murals in the house depict the owner's occupations as well as
his political ideas. There is a large painting of Frankfurt in a room on the ground
floor, while one in the main room upstairs shows an Austrian hussar. Two other
male figures on the ground floor have features resembling those of Rigas Ferraios
and Lord Byron.
By kind permission of:Ekdotike Athenon
This text is cited Nov 2003 from the Macedonian Heritage URL below, which contains images.
The Manousis mansion in Hora has an inscription on its facade dating
it to 1762-63. Its construction and sumptuous
decoration reflect the wealth of the Manousis family, who had created one
of the most powerful Siatistan trading
businesses in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Wood
carvings of exceptional quality decorate the mezzanine and upper storey. The
painting
decoration covers most of the walls and wood-paneled surfaces with an extraordinary
diversity of subjects (cities, Greek mountains between flower pots, symbolic representation
of a bird with a snake).
Of particular interest are the scenes of Mount
Athos with Vatopedi Monastery,
and Mount Siniatsiko with a house and tower, possible portrayals of specific buildings
in Siatista.
By kind permission of:Ekdotike Athenon
This text is cited Nov 2003 from the Macedonian Heritage URL below, which contains image.
The Keratzis mansion is located in Hora. It is not known when it was
built. Its wall-paintings,
concentrated in one of the upper rooms, are typical of the folk art of the second
half of the 19th century
Of special interest is the scene of Constantinople
within a frame of laurel leaves, which is a copy of a period copperplate engraving.
There are also paintings of Hadrian's Arch and the Temple of Olympian Zeus which
refer us to Athens and the foundation
of the Greek state. The presence of the meander amongst the other decorative
motifs shows the influence of neoclassicism.
By kind permission of:Ekdotike Athenon
This text is cited Nov 2003 from the Macedonian Heritage URL below, which contains images.
The Lioutaris (or Kariofilis) mansion is in the Yerania district.
Although its exact construction date is unknown, it must have been built around
the middle of the 19th century. The painting
decoration in the interior contains several neoclassical features.
Apart from the portrayal of Constantinople, which is less realistic
than the renderings of the city in the Poulko and Keratzis mansions, the wall-paintings
depict the four seasons and the allegorical figures of night and day. They are
the work of Christodoulos Zographou, a painter from Siatista.
By kind permission of:Ekdotike Athenon
This text is cited Nov 2003 from the Macedonian Heritage URL below, which contains image.
AGIOS ACHILIOS (Small island) PRESPES
It was built in 1018 by the Byzantine emperor Vassilios II.
MIKROLIMNI (Village) PRESPES
KASTANOFYTO (Village) KASTORIA
KASTORIA (Town) MAKEDONIA WEST
GREVENA (Prefecture) GREECE
Photo Album in URL, information in Greek only.
NOSTIMO (Village) KASTORIA
Nostimo is situated on the south-west of the region of Kastoria,
in a distance of 15km from Argos
Orestikon and on an altitude of 900 meters almost.
Its soil presents mainly the Fossilised Forest, 20 million years old,
with tropical and subtropical plants, according to the first findings of the professor
of Palaeontology-Palaeobotanology of Athens University, Mr Velitzelos, who undertook
its discovery. The main features of the Fossilised Forest are the perfect fossilisation
of the tree trunks and the uniqueness of the finding.
The palms possess an outstanding position as they are the only ones
found in continental Greece,
a fact that attributes a special importance to the historical evolution of the
plants and the climate of the past, not only in the Greek territory but also on
an international level.
All around the village exist also rare sea fossils, such as starfishes,
mussels, cockles, snails, shark tooth, etc. There have also been found some animal
fossils with special scientific importance, that reverse the hitherto historical
data. The fossilised tooth of a huge prehistoric herbivorous animal is very impressive.
Until the termination of the researches and the studies, the visitors
may see the findings of the forests in the Primary School of Nostimo, where there
is a temporary exhibition room.
This text (extract) is cited June 2003 from the Prefecture
of Kastoria tourist pamphlet.
ERATIRA (Small town) KOZANI
The urban
houses of Eratyra were built by families whose income originated from trade
and emigration. The oldest of these mansions date to the 18th century and resemble
their contemporaries, the mansions of Siatista.
They have two storeys and are L-shaped in plan.
On the ground floor, around the flagstone courtyard, are the 'strotos'
(family sitting room) and a second room for auxiliary functions, while at the
rear of the house is the 'katoi' (a semi-basement with a few openings), where
foods were stored. The kitchen, oven and lavatory are in the so-called 'magereio'
(cooking shed), a small building in the courtyard near the house.
The wooden staircase in the courtyard leads to the upper floor ('anoi'),
where on the two long sides of the open 'liakoto' (sun room) four rooms were arranged,
of which the 'bas-ondas' was the main reception room. In the older houses, the
roofed balconies, supported on buttresses, project symmetrically from the two
ends of the main facade and the central portion of the rear.
In the later houses, the balcony, now projecting from the middle of
the front of the upper storey, is supported by wooden columns, creating a semi-open
area in front of the entrance, the 'hayiati'.
Unworked limestone blocks quarried locally and bonded with mud were
used as construction materials for the ground floor, while for the upper floors
lighter materials were preferred (such as 'tsatmas', half timbering and plaster
with infill).
By kind permission of:Ekdotike Athenon
This text is cited Nov 2003 from the Macedonian Heritage URL below, which contains image.
The Lazaridis mansion lies on the north side of town. It contains the oldest surviving wall-paintings in Eratyra, dating to 1796 as the inscription tells us. Using sparse color and line, the artist has rendered the two-headed eagle of Byzantium and the sliced watermelon (which at one time symbolized the beheading of Saint John the Baptist), a subject encountered in churches as well as houses in western Macedonia and Mount Pelio. From the 18th century, however, its symbolic significance was forgotten, as indicated by the presence of the fork sticking into the fruit.
By kind permission of:Ekdotike Athenon
This text is cited Nov 2003 from the Macedonian Heritage URL below, which contains image.
The Papatheodorou mansion
is situated near the old town square. It is a large building with a rectangular
layout.
Its wall-paintings, dating to the last quarter of the 19th century, appear in
one room on the ground floor (now varnished), but mainly in the rooms upstairs.
Two of the upper rooms are decorated
with plant and other motifs as well as buildings enclosed within medallions, reminiscent
of the ornamentation on some porcelain plates. In the main room, a frieze embellishing
the entire length of the upper part of the wall depicts an imaginary landscape
with curious large buildings intermingled with the figures of animals and humans.
By kind permission of:Ekdotike Athenon
This text is cited Nov 2003 from the Macedonian Heritage URL below, which contains image.
A typical example of the mansions
of Eratyra is that of Milios on the north side of town. Its wall-paintings,
which date from the mid-19th century, are concentrated in one room on the upper
floor and extend like a frieze below the ceiling.
They portray animal and human figures as well as buildings in a landscape.
The military costumes worn by the people and the apparent sequence of the paintings
indicate that the scenes may tell a story, possibly one connected with the events
of the period.
By kind permission of:Ekdotike Athenon
This text is cited Nov 2003 from the Macedonian Heritage URL below, which contains image.
The Delivasis mansion is located near that of Lazaridis. It has all
the characteristics of the later
type of house with the 'hayiati' (covered porch) at the front. Its wall-paintings
date from 1878. The murals
in the adjoining wing, which was used for guests, are of greater interest. They
depict the portraits of the owner's four daughters within ornamental baroque frames.
These figures with their European dress and coiffures each hold a
representative object: fan, letter, bouquet, caged canary. These scenes, although
the work of a folk
artist, are governed by the principles of European painting.
By kind permission of:Ekdotike Athenon
This text is cited Nov 2003 from the Macedonian Heritage URL below, which contains image.
FLORINA (Town) MAKEDONIA WEST
In Florina one finds houses (many of which are listed) that represent
a variety of periods and architectural styles. The neighborhoods on the banks
of the Sakoulevas are typical of the folk architecture of the late 19th-early
20th century.
The houses have one storey and massive double doorways that open into
a courtyard from which an inner staircase leads to the upper floor. Often the
center of the facade meets in a pediment, while the interior decoration usually
consists of elaborately carved
wooden ceilings and cupboards.
The town houses in the city center exhibit the eclectic elements (ranging
from neo-Byzantine to art deco) popular in the 1930s. Other characteristic features
are the moulding of external surfaces with added ornamental elements and beautifully
carved wooden doors. Inside, the formal reception rooms are embellished with tapestries.
By kind permission of:Ekdotike Athenon
This text is cited Nov 2003 from the Macedonian Heritage URL below, which contains images.
KASTORIA (Town) MAKEDONIA WEST
The Turkish traveler Evliyia Celebi describes the mansions of the
Greek quarter in 17th century Kastoria as being: "grand seraglios of a strange
and curious nature. All the houses on the shores of the lake possess boatsheds
and enclosed balconies. The seraglios are mansions with ports, and with one floor
above the other in the Constantinople style"
The lavishly decorated
houses in Kastoria, which were built by wealthy merchants
from the late 17th into the 19th century, have layouts which evolved from simple
rectangles into a cross enclosed within a square, without undergoing any change
in the arrangement or function of the rooms.
The ground floor contains the auxiliary and storage spaces, the mezzanine
a central area with a staircase and the winter rooms. The, usually two, best rooms
on the upper storey are arranged around a central reception area ('doxatos') with
'krevates' and 'kioskia', special raised daises with wooden railings.
The ground floor and mezzanine are built of stone and have only a
few openings (air shafts, small windows), while the upper storey and the covered
balconies are made of lighter material (varnished 'tsatmas', half timbering filled
with various types of rubble, and plastered), particularly the section overlooking
the lake or the inner courtyard, and illuminated by a double row of windows.
By kind permission of:Ekdotike Athenon
This text is cited Nov 2003 from the Macedonian Heritage URL below, which contains image.
The mansion of Kyr-Yiannakis Nantzis is located in the Doultso district,
in the vicinity of the church of Ayios Nikolaos, and must have been built around
1750. A painting in the wood-paneled room on the second floor bears the date 1796.
The arrangement of the rooms and the plan
of the house are especially unusual. The ground floor has a porch supported by
three columns. An outdoor staircase that closes with a trapdoor provides access
to the first floor.
Wall-paintings
with plant motifs combined with buildings are preserved in a small vaulted room
with the varnished and painted ceiling. The rooms with the most extravagant decoration
are the 'doxatos' and the 'kalos ondas' on the second floor, which are presided
over by a painting of Constantinople amidst images from the plant and animal kingdoms
(birds, lions), which are repeated in the wood carvings.
By kind permission of:Ekdotike Athenon
This text is cited Nov 2003 from the Macedonian Heritage URL below, which contains image.
The Tsiatsapas mansion is situated in the Apozari district on the
north shore of the lake. It was built at the start of the 18th century by a well-to-do
man named Moralis. Tsiatsapas must have ordered repairs in 1754, as stated in
the inscription on the west side and on the mural in the best room.
This is a grand mansion with a rectangular plan and three floors in
addition to the ground floor. Although the rooms on the third floor have been
lavishly decorated
with wall-paintings and wood carvings, they have been irreparably damaged at certain
points.
The painting of an imaginary city on the wall of the 'doxatos' (parlour)
and the stylized depiction of Constantinople
in the south-west room, dated by its inscription to 1798, are not only impressive
but important to our understanding of the folk
painting of the era.
By kind permission of:Ekdotike Athenon
This text is cited Nov 2003 from the Macedonian Heritage URL below, which contains image.
The mansion of Nerantzis Aivazis in the Doultso district has been
converted into a folk art museum. Although it contains no inscriptions to date
its construction, it must have been built during the second half of the 18th century.
Its plan
takes the form of a Greek pi but it lacks the usual projecting enclosed balconies.
It consists of a ground floor, mezzanine and upper floor. On the mezzanine,
the so-called "fur workshop"has a painted
ceiling and a concave cornice below it depicting buildings in a landscape.
Plant motifs ornament the walls of the 'doxatos' on the second floor as well as
the walls of the 'kalos ondas', on which Venice is portrayed "according to
the artist's imagination".
By kind permission of:Ekdotike Athenon
This text is cited Nov 2003 from the Macedonian Heritage URL below, which contains image.
KOZANI (Town) MAKEDONIA WEST
The architectural style of Kozani's urban residences reached its full expression
around the middle of the 18th century, a time when the town's merchants and owners
of small factories were acquiring considerable financial power and their way of
life became more urbanized, influenced by trends from central Europe.
On the ground floor around the spacious flagstone courtyard, were
arranged the 'aniliako' (the sunny, winter sitting room), the cellar, the storeroom,
as well as the 'kafe-ondas' and the 'mousafir-ondas' (where guests were welcomed).
The wooden staircase led to the 'hayiati' on the upper floor which
closed with a trapdoor. On two sides of the raised 'doxatos' there were summer
sitting rooms, a larder and the 'kalokairinos ondas' or summer formal area, which
formed a single space with the 'doxatos' and the 'hayiati'. Usually the utility
rooms (the lavatory, the well, and the storerooms), were found in the courtyard,
but they could also have been located in the vaulted basement.
In times of danger the inhabitants used to escape from a passage located
in the small courtyard to the rear of the house, which communicated with the courtyards
of neighbors and linked up with the town's road network.
The sumptuously decorated
mansions of Kozani were enclosed by stone walls punctuated with a few barred openings
on the outer sides, while in the upper floor, the enclosed balconies and the covered
porches usually looked onto the inner courtyard.
Kozani's surviving mansions
Only three of the magnificent mansions built by the prosperous 18th
century merchants of Kozani are still standing today. Typical examples of both
the architecture
of the times and the tendency towards ornately carved woodwork
and decorative
painting, the mansions of Georgos Lassanis (second half of the 18th century),
Grigorios Vourkas (1748) and Vourkas-Katsikas (1762) represent the fashion of
the second half of the 18th century.
The mansions that have perished
Most of the mansions that were built in 18th century Kozani have been destroyed.
The Kozani Folk Art
Museum contains parts of some woodcarvings from the Harisis Trantas mansion
(late 17th century), which are closely related stylistically to the woodcarvings
in the church of Ayios Nikolaos and of the 'kalos ondas' of the Tziminakis mansion
(late 18th century), which have been removed to the Benaki
Museum in Athens (gift of E. Stathatou). The Kozani Folk Art Museum has also
acquired the 'bas-ondas' of the mansion belonging to G. Sakellariou (late 17th
century) with its ornate painted decoration.
By kind permission of:Ekdotike Athenon
This text is cited Nov 2003 from the Macedonian Heritage URL below, which contains images.
PRESPES (Municipality) FLORINA
The lakes and their importance
Lakes Megali
and Mikri Prespa
were once a single lake. Along the centuries, an isthmus was created with the
accumulation of sediment carried into the lake by the Agios Germanos stream. Now
days a channel located at Koula connects the two lakes. Allowing the waters from
Mikri Prespa to Megali Prespa. About 90% of the 47.4 km2 of the surface area of
Lake Mikri Prespa belongs to the Greek territory, while Megali Prespa 259.4 km2
is shared by Greece, Albania and FYROM's territories. Mikri Prespa is a relatively
shallow lake; with a mean depth of 4.1 m. Megali Prespa is deeper, with an average
depth of 18 m and maximum depth of 55 m.
The whole area belongs to the NATURA 2000 Network and Mikri Prespa
is also protected by the RAMSAR Convention, as one of the ten Greek Wetlands of
International Importance. This is so due to the exceptional biodiversity of the
lake related to one of its main biotopes, the wet meadows.
These are areas around the lake with low aquatic vegetation seasonally
inundated as the lake's water level fluctuates. Reed beds are very important plant
formations in this area, as they provide shelter and nesting sites and wintering
areas to a big number of species of birds, fish, mammals, reptiles, amphibians
and insects, many of them vulnerable or threatened in other parts of the world.
Prespa Park
On the occasion of the World Wetlands Day, 2nd February 2000, the
Prime Ministers of Greece, FYROM and Albania met in Agios Germanos and declared
the creation of the Prespa Park as a Tran boundary protected area. The target
to be achieved is the environmental protection and sustainable development protection
of the Prespa Lakes and their surroundings in the three neighboring countries.
After the declaration, a 10-membered Co-ordinations Committee was
established to promote cooperation among the competent from the government, the
Mayor and a representative of a non-governmental organization from each country
plus one observer from the Ramsar Bureau. Additionally, a Secretariat of the Prespa
Park, composed by the three participating NGO's, has been established to provide
technical support to the trilateral cooperation on an every day basis.
This text is cited September 2004 from the Municipality of Prespes URL below, which contains images
KASTORIA (Town) MAKEDONIA WEST
Foundation of the Hellenic World
MIKRI PRESPA (Lake) FLORINA
One kilometer east of the village of Platy
is the church of Ayios Nikolaos, which according to the local tradition is dedicated
to the Transfiguration of the Saviour and is called Ayia Sorita. Its simple exterior
contrasts strongly with the lavishily painted interior decoration, which belongs
to the end of the 16th c. Nearly Mikpi Prespa the visitor may see the ruins of
the village of Opayia, which was abandoned before the 2nd World War due to malaria.
The area limited by opayia, the Koula site and the asphalted road, includes the
most sensitive part of the National Park core. Vromolimni ("Stinking Lake") is
an internal body of water that communicates with the waters of Mikri Presra. Here
large colonies of Pelicans and Cormorants can be found .Being such a delicate
area, admission here is strictly forbidden. The visitor can watch the birds with
binoculars or telescope from the observation post of the north, next to the road.
This is one of the best places in Prespa for bird watching in spring.
This text is cited September 2004 from the Municipality of Prespes URL below, which contains images
ORESTIDA (Municipality) KASTORIA
KASTANOFYTO (Village) KASTORIA
AGIA PARASKEVI (Village) KOZANI
Large, three-aisled basilica (dimensions 32 x 14 m.) with a narthex
at the west end and a transverse aisle, triconch in plan, in front of the bema.
Three attached buildings were uncovered, one of which functioned as a baptistery
with a built-in font. The floors of the church are covered with mosaics decorated
with floral patterns and animal figures. The basilica is dated to the beginning
of the 6th century A.D.
Excavations on the site started in 1964 and were comppleted in 1971.
This text is cited Sept 2003 from the Hellenic Ministry of Culture URL below, which also contains image.
AGIOS ACHILIOS (Small island) PRESPES
This church is found to the SW of the St. Achilles Basilica and dates back to the 14th century A.D.
Ruins of this church are found in the south-west bank of the lake. It dates back to the 11th-12th century A.D.
One-aisled, wooden-roofed church, which is still used as a cemetery church. There are murals dating back to the 15th century A.D.
This monastery is located in the southern part of the islet and dates back to the mid 16th century.
AIANI (Small town) KOZANI
The church, which once stood in the centre of the modern village of
Aiane, was the catholicon (main church) of a monastery, at least during the Turkish
occupation. In its last phase it was single-aisled, with a tribelon (triple arched
opening) between the aisle and narthex. The roof was constructed in various levels,
but it seems that its original plan was different. The foundation of the monument
is dated to the 10th or the 11th century. The interior was decorated with wall
paintings dated to 1624, which were covered by a second layer of frescoes in 1877.
The church collapsed in 1996 after an earthquake.
This text is cited Sept 2003 from the Hellenic Ministry of Culture URL below, which also contains image.
MEGALI PRESPA (Lake) FLORINA
Metamorphosis Hermitage
The closest to Psarades
village extant hermitage.
Panaghia Eleoussa Hermitage
The most remarkable hermitage in the northern part of the meridian
bank, which the locals have dedicated to Aghios Petros. The inscription dates
back to 1409/10 A.D.
Mikri Analipsi (Ascension) Hermitage
It lies on the rocks of the south-west bank of Megali Prespa; 15th
century.
Rock paintings
An icon of "Panaghia Dexiokratoussa" and "Panaghia
Vlachernitissa" opposite the village
of Psarades on the rocks of the south-west bank of Megali Prespa.
(text: Andreas Andreou)
This text (extract) is cited October 2003 from the Prefecture
of Florina - Florina
Prefecture Tourism Committee tourist pamphlet.
Small, single-aisled church with barrel-vaulted roof, built in a cavity
of the rock. The sanctuary is decorated with wall paintings which can be dated
to the end of the 14th century. Some of the representations preserved are the
Virgin Vlachernitissa, the Melismos with the co-officiating bishops, and the Pentecost.
The vault of the sanctuary is covered with a representation of the Ascension of
Christ.
Restoration of the monument began in 1994 and is still in progress.
Το κείμενο παρατίθεται τον Σεπτέμβριο 2003 από την ακόλουθη ιστοσελίδα του Υπουργείου Πολιτισμού, η οποία περιλαμβάνει και φωτογραφίες.
The small lakeland vale of Prespes in Macedonia jealously conceals
its Byzantine treasures that have survived the centuries into our own day. The
massive ruins of the great triple-aisled basilica of Ayios Achilleios on the islet
named after him in Lake Small Prespa stand tall in a magnificent landscape.
The basilica was built in about 1000. The small church of Ayios Germanos,
an early 11th century building in the village of that name, still preserves the
second layer of its wall-paintings, executed in 1743. The rich tile decoration
of the exterior of the late 13th or early 14th century church of Ayios Nikolaos
near the village of Pyli is an astounding spectacle.
The hermitage of Panayia (Virgin) Eleousa, set in the mouth of a huge
cave on the banks of Lake Great Prespa, lies on the very frontier of the Greek
state. It is decorated with wall-paintings of 1410, works of primitive beauty.
There are other monuments besides these, with 15th and 16th century painting.
By kind permission of:Ekdotike Athenon
This text is cited Nov 2003 from the Macedonian Heritage URL below, which contains image.
The eventual excavation of Servia will reveal the Mystra of Macedonia,
for the ruins of walls, churches, and houses can be made out among trees at the
top of a naturally fortified hill which overlooks the valley of the Haliakmon
River.
The walls encircling the 11th century acropolis descend the hillside
in tiers, encompassing churches like those of Ayioi Theodoroi and Ioannis Prodromos
(Saint John the Baptist) and the now ruined Metropolis, all of which date to the
11th century.
The Metropolis, a large three-aisled basilica with narthex, was dedicated
to Saint Demetrios; two layers of wall-paintings still survive and bear witness
to a brilliant historic past, though they are exposed to destruction by rain and
human hands, as reconstruction of the monument would be an extremely difficult
undertaking.
By kind permission of:Ekdotike Athenon
This text is cited Nov 2003 from the Macedonian Heritage URL below, which contains image.
ORESTIDA (Municipality) KASTORIA
FLORINA (Prefecture) GREECE
The historical conditions of the post-war course of the region allowed
for the preservation of the traditional character of many pieces of architecture,
which have recently been declared to be scheduled buildings. The survival of this
type of settlement permits the detection of the function of this very region in
the past and stamps its communication with the wider Balkan region.
We can concisely refer to villages with peculiar house construction,
justified by the characteristic climatic, social and economic conditions (e.g.
Prespa and Korestia), as well as to distinct villages to which their inhabitants
once had migrated (e.g. Nymfeo).
In all cases these houses witness the work of local workmen, who were
famous all over the Balkans. In short, we mention villages of special architecture,
like those in the Prespa region with the villages of Psarades,
Aghios Germanos, Miliona,
Kallithea, Oxia
etc. being the most characteristic ones.
The Korestia region (Antartiko,
Prassino, Korifi,
Kottas etc.) makes up a separate
group and so do some villages in the eastern part of Varnous,
west of Florina and such
are Proti, Ethniko,
Akritas, Alona,
Kratero, Parori
etc.
There are some isolated examples of very particular villages and such
are Pissoderi and mainly
Nymfeo. The latter, has been
preserved in the best possible condition and is rightly considered to be unique
all over Greece, with mansions
decorated with frescoes and fretwork found everywhere.
Peculiarly shaped constructions can be seen in almost all the villages,
some examples being the windmill in Aghios
Panteleimon, the school building in Xino
Nero, the Nikios Scholi (School) in Nymfeo,
the Town Scholi (School) in Lehovo
etc.
(text: Andreas Andreou)
This text (extract) is cited October 2003 from the Prefecture
of Florina - Florina
Prefecture Tourism Committee tourist pamphlet.
PRESPES (Municipality) FLORINA
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