Mystras, the Church of Panagia Peribleptos

Mystras, located in the southern province of Morea, was founded as a citadel in 1249 by the Principality of (Achaea) Morea (1205-1432). Later in 1262 Byzantine Empire took control of Mystras. Despotate of Morea was founded in 1348, and Mystras was the capital until the loss the city in 1460. Under the control of despots, Mystras became one of the important and influential cities of the late Byzantine Empire and it led to a revival in the social, cultural and artistic spheres within the city and also beyond. In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, military, (the city walls, watchtowers and citadels), civic (palace/residence of the despotate, villas and houses of the aristocrats) and religious architecture (monasteries, churches and chapels) were improved. The church of Panagia Peribleptos is one of the monumental buildings which was built in Byzantine period and it is the subject matter of this thesis alongside with its complex wall painting program. The building of the church is attributed to the first despot of Morea, Manuel Kantakouzenos (1349-1380) and his French wife Isabella Lusignan. Kantakouzenos as one of the members of leading aristocrats of the time was also a keen follower of Hesychasm, the major religious trend and practice of the century. The church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The cycles are: Twelfth Feast, Passion and Resurrection Christi, Life of Virgin Mary, Liturgical Cycles. Also, other, mainly, liturgical symbolic images are included into the program. The study of mostly intact wall paintings of the church is crucial for a better understanding of the late Byzantine painting in general. Also, it is essential in order to acquire an in-depth knowledge about major stylistic and especially iconographic formulae of the period with specific solutions applied according to the functions of particular monuments. The painting program of church in terms of both iconography and style reflects metropolitan style per se. In the thesis, the painting program of the church is introduced by both explain the cycles and highlighting their place in the church, next their physical condition is documented. Moreover, the inscriptions at the background of the scenes are deciphered and/or quoted and their possible biblical and/or liturgical sources are discussed. Lastly, the painting program of the Peribleptos is compared with the other churches in Mystras and its importance in terms of the painting program in the late Byzantine period is emphasized. Keywords Late Byzantine, the Despotate of Morea, Mistra, Peribleptos, painting program, Divine Liturgy