Peribleptos Monastery, Mystras

Peribleptos Monastery

The Peribleptos Monastery (Greek: Μονή Παναγίας Περιβλέπτου) is a late Byzantine-era monastery in Mystras, Greece. It was probably built in the mid-14th century by the first Despot of the Morea, Manuel Kantakouzenos,[1] and named after one of the most celebrated monasteries of Byzantine Constantinople.[2] The frescos in the main church, dating between 1348 and 1380, are a very rare surviving late Byzantine cycle, crucial for the understanding of Byzantine art.[3] It is named after St. Mary of Peribleptos, of Byzantine, Constantinople (Istanbul). The Monastery is built into the side of a cliff with a cave supporting the structure. This architectural style is known as the "Mystras style" and is prevalent in several churches and monasteries in the area, this style is typified by a resemblance to a castle. It is constructed of squared stones with inlaid tiles. The complexity and unique variations of the shape of the structure of the exterior create an interior surface inside the monastery that lends itself to the ethereal quality of the frescoes covering the walls. These have been described as "delicate and subdued" in[4] Byzantine Architecture and Decoration (Hamilton 194-95)

  1. ^ "Περίβλεπτος". ODYSSEUS Portal (in Greek). Hellenic Ministry of Culture. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  2. ^ Dark, Ken (1999). "The Byzantine Church and Monastery of St Mary Peribleptos in Istanbul". The Burlington Magazine. 141 (1160): 656–664. JSTOR 888553.
  3. ^ Mango, Cyril A. (1978). Byzantine architecture. Electa Editrice. ISBN 978-0-8478-0615-7. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  4. ^ Hamilton, J. Arnott (1956). Byzantine Architecture and Decoration. London: Jarrold and Sons. pp. 194–95.