Agia Ekaterini (Heraklion)
The former church of Agia Ekaterini ( Greek Αγία Αικατερίνη ) in Heraklion is the structurally preserved center of the monastery of the same name, a metochi of the famous St. Catherine monastery in Sinai . Today it houses an icon museum.
location
Agia Ekaterini is located on the Platia Agias Ekaterinis, named after her, northeast of the larger Minas Cathedral in the center of the Cretan capital Heraklion.
history
After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, Byzantine artists and scholars began an exodus from the now Ottoman- ruled city into the rulership of Venice . She was particularly attracted by Crete, which as Regno di Candia formed a Christian island in the eastern Mediterranean and became the center of Byzantine culture in the Greek world. At the Katharinenkloster in Heraklion, a dépendance ( Metochi ) of the Sinaitischen Katharinenkloster , theology , philosophy , rhetoric , sacred music and icon painting were taught - similar to a university . The Cretan-Venetian nobleman Andrea Cornaro, probably a brother of the poet Vitsentzos Kornaros , who was trained here, founded the Accademia degli stravaganti (Ακαδημία των Στραβαγκάντι) around 1590 .
In sacred painting, the lively cultural exchange between Italy and Crete led to a strong mutual influence and cultural fertilization. The artists in Crete who came from the tradition of Byzantine painting adopted aspects of the painting style and in particular the painting technique and method of representation from Renaissance Italy and merged them with the Byzantine tradition. This is how a school of icon painting, known as the “ Cretan School ”, emerged here , the most famous representatives of which were Michail Damaskinos , Dominikos Theotokopoulos known as El Greco , Angelos Akotantos , Theophanes Strelitzas, Georgios Klontzas, Ioannis Kornaros, Emmanuel Lombardos, known as Theophanes the Cretan and Emmanuel Tzanes .
Building
The church of Agia Ekaterini was built in 1555 as the center of the monastery. The plan is that of a Latin cross . The building is closed off by a pointed arch barrel vault .
In the second half of the 16th century a parekklesion (side chapel) was added to the north, which was consecrated to the Ten Holy Martyrs of Crete (Άγιοι Δέκα, Agii Deka ). This side chapel is crowned by a dome construction, which is a mixture of Venetian and Islamic architectural elements: the tambour does not rest on the pendentives common in Byzantine architecture , but on trumpets , as in mosques . The dome and trumpets are supported by Gothic ribs .
museum
The church belonging to the Archdiocese of Crete has served as a museum of Christian art since 1967. It houses an exhibition of Byzantine icons and religious objects (manuscripts, vestments, frescoes) from six centuries of the history of the Orthodox Church (14th to 19th centuries). Among other things, six works by the painter Michail Damaskinos will be shown.
Michail Damaskinos: The Holy Liturgy
Michail Damaskinos: The First Ecumenical Council
Deësis icon
John the Baptist
Birth of John the Baptist
Agios Minas
Agios Charalambos, scenes from his life
Agios Charalambos
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Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Klaus Gallas : Crete, From the beginnings of Europe to Crete-Venetian art. Dumont-Verlag Cologne, 5th edition 1988, pp. 70, 94.
- ^ David Holton: Literature and Society in Renaissance Crete. Cambridge University Press 1991, p. 8.
- ↑ Klaus Gallas: Crete, From the beginnings of Europe to Crete-Venetian art. Dumont-Verlag Cologne, 5th edition 1988, p. 94.
- ^ Dimitris Tziovas: Re-imagining the Past: Antiquity and Modern Greek Culture. OUP, Oxford 2014, p. 37.
- ^ Website of the city of Heraklion .
- ↑ Klaus Gallas: Crete, From the beginnings of Europe to Crete-Venetian art. Dumont-Verlag Cologne, 5th edition 1988, p. 93
Coordinates: 35 ° 20 ′ 17.2 ″ N , 25 ° 7 ′ 52.9 ″ E