European and Byzantine art in 19th century Xanthi
The route is about 1 km long, lasts about 60 minutes and is of moderate difficulty. In it, the visitor with artistic interests and quests will have the opportunity to get acquainted with European and Byzantine art, as expressed in buildings of old Xanthi in the 19th century.

Starting from the Michaloglou Mansions in the district of Agios Vlasios and ending at the church of Pammegistoi Taxiarchs, one will visit the churches of old Xanthi, representative samples of the post-Byzantine period, while in the buildings of secular architecture one will admire ceiling paintings and frescoes, of the so-called Belle Époque (1871-1914).

In the old churches it is worth observing the portable icons that carry strong western iconographic influences, which are mixed with traditional Byzantine standards and follow theological concepts after the conquest. They are created either by workshops active in Thrace or northern Greece (e.g. the workshop of Ainos), or by the Mount Athos workshop (e.g. the painters Nikiforos and his student Ioasaf), or by individual painters (e.g. Nikolaos from Hasköy in Constantinople, Thassios M. Evangelidis, Patrinos Takis Prionas).

It is also worth noting the crucifix in the Church of Agios Georgios, a work of Fotis Kontoglou (1959), the embroidered icon of Archangel Michael in the Church of the Taxiarchs, the marble relief candlestand in the Church of Agios Vlasios.

On the other hand, in the rich neoclassical residences one can see works of Bavarian or German painters, such as the frescoes in the Houses of Kougioumtzoglou, Stavropoulos and Michaloglou or the goddesses from the twelve Gods, which adorn the staircase of the Metaxas House. Of interest are the ceiling paintings with decorative and floral motifs in the Daniel Mansion and the Moses Mansion, while a unique example of neoclassical sculpture in the city is the statue in the courtyard of the Church of Agios Georgios.

47. Church of Pammegistoin Taxiarchs

Brief documentation:

The Church of Pammegistoi Taxiarchs is located in the district of Kavaki and was rebuilt in 1834 according to the relief dedicatory inscription found in the narthex.
It is the oldest temple in Xanthi.
Its construction probably took place on the foundations of an earlier church of the Middle Byzantine period, which was destroyed during the earthquakes of 1829.
It is also called Kavaki (poplar), probably because there were poplars nearby. Oral tradition mentions that during the Turkish occupation, when the construction of bell towers was prohibited, Christians had put a bell on a small boat that was there and it rang with the wind.
The church is built according to the standards of the simple, three-aisled basilica and includes a gabled roof. The bell tower and narthex have been built in later phases than the rest of the church.
Of particular value is its wood-carved iconostasis, which is decorated with plant and animal elements. It includes icons of the 18th and 19th centuries, the most important of which were painted by an unknown painter in 1741, as well as those signed by the hagiographer Kyriakos from Ainos in 1833.
Also noteworthy is the embroidered icon of the archangel Michael, which was the work of the embroiderer Aikaterini Boullis and was dedicated to the church in 1839 by the Xanthi merchant Sgourov.


Category of thematic interest:  ARCHITECTURAL/HISTORICAL AND RELIGIOUS INTEREST


History:

The Church of Pammegistoi Taxiarchs is located on the east side of the old town, in the district of Kavaki. It is the oldest church in Xanthi and was rebuilt during the year 1834 according to the relief dedicatory inscription found in the narthex of the church.
Probably, its reconstruction took place on the foundations of an earlier church of the Middle Byzantine period, which was destroyed by the earthquakes of 1829. According to some oral traditions of the inhabitants of the city, the temple functioned for a certain period of time as a metropolitan. It is also called Kavaki (poplar), probably because there were poplars nearby. Oral tradition mentions that during the Turkish occupation, when the construction of bell towers was prohibited, Christians had put a bell on a small boat that was there and it rang with the wind.


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.
In the Holy Bema there is a large semicircular niche, while the narthex is built at a later stage than the rest of the temple. It also includes a women's loft, which is shaped in the form of a balcony. The bell tower of the church was also built at a later stage, probably in the early 20th century.


Description of other elements:

Of particular value is the wood-carved iconostasis of the church, which is decorated with plant and animal designs, and includes various icons of the 18th and 19th centuries. The most important are the one depicting Christ as the Great High Priest, the icon of the sweet-kissing Virgin Mary and the one of Archangel Michael, which date back to the year 1741. Of the other icons of the iconostasis, particularly interesting are those of the Three Hierarchs and Saints Constantine and Helen, which were created in 1833 by the hagiographer Kyriakos from Ainos. In the church there are still icons of the Thassian hagiographer Michael Evangelidis and the painter from Thessaloniki D. Stephanidis. Also noteworthy is the embroidered icon of the archangel Michael, which was the work of the embroiderer Aikaterini Boullis and was dedicated to the temple during the year 1839 by the Xanthi merchant Sgourov.
The Taxiarchs were patron saints of Xanthi until 1955.
There is also the Monastery of Pammegistoi Taxiarchs in the suburban forest north of Xanthi.


Purpose - Use: Church building


Characterization: utomatically protected, Competent Service: EFA of Xanthi


Dating (period): Third decade of the 19th century


Year of construction: 1834


Location of the monument: 41.144675734393765, 24.889056138062063


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: Evripidou and Orpheus


Visitable: Yes

 

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