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III. —Thalamae: V.—Frankish Sculptures at Parori and Geraki

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 October 2013

Alan J. B. Wace
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Extract

Since remains, especially of an artistic nature, that can be definitely assigned to the Frankish period, are rare in Greece, the following monuments are of some interest.

The warrior relief (Fig. 1) is walled up in the house of Ioannes Sikiotes in the hamlet of Parori, at the foot of Taygetus about half an hour south of Mistra. It is of local bluish marble, and measures 85 × 53 m.; the height of the relief is 02 m. It shews a warrior en face, though his legs are represented in profile to the right; the hair does not seem to be indicated, nor is there any trace of a helmet; the eyes are roughly oval in shape and the pupils are indicated by dots; the ears are big, the nose is snub, and the mouth is rendered by a line that curves downwards at the corners; the neck is long, the body has no indication of detail except the nipples, the chest is narrow and the hips are rather wide; the legs and feet are very small.

Type
Laconia
Information
Annual of the British School at Athens , Volume 11 , November 1905 , pp. 139 - 145
Copyright
Copyright © The Council, British School at Athens 1905

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References

page 139 note 1 I wish to express my hearty thanks to Mr. W. Miller for the historical references added to this paper.

page 140 note 1 Sparta Mus. Cat. 327.

page 141 note 1 Finlay, , History of Greece, iv. pp. 185Google Scholarseqq. The Livre de la Conqueste (pp. 52, 101) mentions ‘le Gierachy par la Crémonie’ as given to Guy de Nivelet, and also says that Jean I. de Nivelet built ‘le Girachy qui est à la Chaconie.’ The Italian Cronaca di Morea says ‘Miser Giva de Muilet—fabricò un castello detto Gerachii;’ Hopf, Chroniques gréco-romanes, p. 428, cf. p. 438.

page 142 note 1 The plaster seen on the wall is late, since a narthex was added to the church in Byzantine times. A narthex was added to each of the other three Frankish churches, the two mentioned below, and one in an isolated outwork on the southern peak of the hill.

page 143 note 1 The original church did not have a narthex, but consisted only of a nave, two aisles, and the triple apse. The narthex was added later in the Byzantine period: this is proved by the arms over the door leading from the narthex to the nave. The south aisle has been reconstructed in comparatively modern times: this accounts for its being supported by a brick pier and not by a column. The screen before the apse was originally of the western type, and made of marble, open above and panelled below. The upper part was filled in later.

page 145 note 1 Χρονικὸν τοῦ Μορέως l. 5738 The only difficulty is that they did not enter his service till 1265. However de Villehardouin was in Cyprus in 1249, and may have enlisted Saracens then. There is no reason to suppose there could be no Saracens in the Peloponnese before 1265. It is just possible that Nerio I Acciajuoli, who was Baron of Nivelet as well as Duke of Athens, and father-in-law of Theodore I Palaeologus of Mistra, may have been allowed to erect a monument a Geráki. The Acciajuoli, like most parvenus, were doubtless anxious to connect their real barony of Nivelet with the older barony of Geráki.

page 145 note 2 Finlay, , op. cit. iv. p. 197.Google Scholar

page 145 note 3 Id.ibid. p. 201.

page 145 note 4 Pachymeres i. 88.