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Mount Papikion : a monastery complex at Linos. Rhodope prefecture

• Ζήκος, Νίκος

One of the most important monastic centres that developed in the Byzantine period was Mount Papikion, which is NW of Komotini, above Maximianopolis (Mosynopolis) and Lake Vistonida. It is first mentioned in the sources towards the end of the 11th c., and important information about this centre of monasticism is given by the Byzantine historians and chroniclers Zonaras, Kinnamos, and Chômâtes. The large number of Byzantine churches and other buildings that have been located in the area confirm the identification of Papikion with the specific part of the Rhodope in question. Our knowledge of Mount Papikion has been enriched by the excavations that have been taking place in the area since 1983.The latest excavations (1994), N of the village of Linos, Rhodope prefecture, uncovered a three-aisled domed basilica (the katholikon of a monastery complex), a monumentally constructed cistern, a refectory, and other adjacent structures. An examination of the various parts of the katholikon revealed that the monument was built gradually in various building phases. The naos had a marble paved floor, most of which survives. Five rectangular sections of opus sectile provide a striking splash of colour inside the monument. The largest of these, in the centre of the floor, is decorated with the theme of the “five loaves”. Some splendid fragments of the frescoes were found in the destruction layer of the fallen dome. The faces of St Mark and St Johnthe Divine have been recognised. Fragments of frescoes with the faces of other saints and prelates were found in a wall buttressing the S side of the katholikon. Judging by the excavational finds, this monastery at Linos functioned between the mid-llth and the mid-14th c. It was probably built with the financial assistance of Empress Maria Botaneiates, whose gold ring was foundin a built cist-grave N of the katholikon. A portrait of patrons (a woman and achild) has been identified as Maria Botaneiates and her son Constantine Doukas

• History and Archaeology

• Ανασκαφές (Αρχαιολογία)
• Χριστιανικές αρχαιότητες

Ροδόπη, συνέδρια

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