44. Church of Agios Vlasios
Brief documentation:
he Church of Agios Vlasios is located in the homonymous district and was built in 1838, according to information we derive from the marble dedicatory inscription located on the lintel of the western entrance.
Its construction probably took place on the ruins of an earlier church, which was destroyed during the earthquakes of 1829, while the financing of the works was based on the financial contribution of the residents of the parish and Michael Floris from Edirne.
The entrance to the courtyard of the church from Agiou Vlasiou Street is through a monumental propylon with two columns made of local stone.
In the courtyard of the church there are two more buildings, one of which was used as a school and the other as a residence for the vicar.
The building is a typical example of a simple, three-aisled basilica with a gabled roof made of wood and tile. On the outer side of the church there are two more marble, embossed inscriptions. The first is located on the northwest side and refers to the year of the temple's reconstruction, while the second on the northeast and probably testifies to the date of death of one of the sponsors.
Inside the church the iconostasis is wooden and includes icons of the Mount Athos painter Nikiforos, which date back to 1812, the passion of the Lord (mid-19th century) and Agios Ioannis Prodromos (early 20th century). There are also two marble embossed candlesticks, one of which bears a dedicatory inscription dated in 1757. In the Holy Bema a tetragospel is kept, published in Venice in 1852.
Category of thematic interest: ARCHITECTURAL/HISTORICAL AND RELIGIOUS INTEREST
History:
The Church of Agios Vlasios was erected on April 11, 1838 according to the marble dedicatory inscription located on the lintel of the west entrance, when the Metropolitan of Xanthi was Eugene.
It was probably rebuilt on the ruins of an earlier temple, which was destroyed during the earthquakes of 1829.
According to the inscription, the works for the completion of the church were financially supported by the contribution of the residents of the parish and Michael Floris from Edirne.
On the outer side of the church there are two more marble, embossed inscriptions. The first is located on the northwest side and refers to the year of the temple's reconstruction, while the second on the northeast and probably testifies to the date of death of one of the sponsors.
Elements of architecture:
The church is built according to the standards of the simple, three-aisled basilica that dominated the architecture of the churches during the 18th and 19th centuries. The roof of the church is gabled and is made of wood and tile.
On the east side of the roof of the church is the bell tower of the church, which is supported by two built columns covered by a flat tiled roof.
In the sanctuary of the temple there is a large semicircular niche, while the narthex is constructed in a special way. It is separated from the nave by an imaginary line defined by the first pair of columns of the central aisle, while its north and south sides are more flattened, as they do not align with the north and south walls of the nave.
Description of other elements:
The iconostasis of the church is wooden and includes icons of the Mount Athos painter Nikiforos, which date back to 1812, the passion of the Lord (mid-19th century) and Agios Ioannis Prodromos (early 20th century). Inside the church there are two marble embossed candlesticks, one of which bears a dedicatory inscription dated 1757. In the Holy Bema a tetragospel is kept, published in Venice in 1852.
In the courtyard of the church there are two more buildings; one of them was used to meet the educational needs of the Greek Orthodox Community, while the second was used as the residence of the vicar. At the entrance of the courtyard located on the side of Agiou Vlasiou Street there is a monumental propylon with two columns made of local stone, granite.
Purpose - Use: Church building
Characterization: Preservable, Institution of the Ministry of Education, Category "B", Decision 5385, Government Gazette 1097/95
Dating (period): Third decade of the 19th century
Year of construction: 1838
Location of the monument: 41.140611200842265, 24.88603684398417
Bibliographic references:
• Georgios Tsigaras, The churches of old Xanthi, Municipal Development Enterprise of Xanthi (DEAX) – PAKETHRA, Xanthi 2008
• Religious Monuments of the Region of Eastern Macedonia – Thrace, Region of Eastern Macedonia – Thrace, Alexandroupolis 2008
• Xanthi, The city with a thousand colors (Dimitris Mavridis, ed.), Municipality of Xanthi – P.A.KE.THRA., Xanthi 2007
Address: Agiou Vlasiou 1
Visitable: Yes