141-154

An Early Fifteenth Century Funerary Wall-painting in the Church of Panagia Paregoritissa in Arta

Articles

• Παπαδοπούλου, Βαρβάρα Ν.
• ΠΑΠΑΔΟΠΟΥΛΟΥ, Βαρβάρα Ν.

The church of Panagia Paregoritissa is undoubtedly one of the most important monuments of the Despotate of Epiros. It was built in its present form by the despot Nicephoros I Comnenos Doukas in an original architectural type which combines the domed octagon at ground floor level and the cross-in-square at first floor level. The church is decorated internally with sixteenth- and seventeenth-century frescoes (nave), which have replaced the original marble decoration. Recently, however, earlier frescoes in the north chapel, dating from the early fifteenth century, have also been brought to light. The representation that has been discovered is considerably damaged, but four figures can still be distinguished (Figs. 1-2). An angel surrounded by two secular figures is depicted at the centre. The figure on the right has a crown and wears sumptuous clothing, decorated with pearls and a double-headed eagle (Figs. 6-7). He holds his hands in a gesture of prayer and attends on the figure of the Virgin who was portrayed in the north-west corner of the chapel. The Virgin was part of the Deesis scene, depicted on the north wall, of which bare traces can be distinguished. The figure on the left is simply dressed. The representation is of great iconographie interest. The badly damaged inscriptions identify the two secular figures as members of the Spatas family, the Albanian rulers of Arta during the late fourteenth-early fifteenth century. More specifically, they represent Pavlos Spatas (left) (Figs. 4-5), ruler of Naupaktos and Angelokastro (1403-1407), and probably his father, Sgouros Spatas (right) (Figs. 6-7), who had for a short time been despot of Arta before being forced out by the usurper Bogois. However the figure with the sumptuous clothes can perhaps also be identified as Gini (John) Bua Spatas, uncle of Pavlos Spatas, an important figure who was despot during the years 1374-1399. According to another view, the figure on the right (Figs. 6-7) is Mourikis Boua Spatas who had driven Bogois out of Arta. It is not impossible that, after selling Naupaktos to the Venetians in 1408, Pavlos Spatas moved to Arta and had the funerary wall-painting executed in the Paregoritissa, in the exact place where he wanted to be buried. The depiction of Pavlos near his cousin would probably imply his acceptance of Mourikis' power and, indirectly, his subjection to him. The fresco can be dated to the early fifteenth century (the period of the earliest wall painting of the Paregoritissa) and is of great interest, since very few examples of painting from this period survive in Arta. In addition it provides valuable information on the Albanian presence in Arta, including their manner of dress, which reflects Byzantine customs and ideas, and resembles that of their "predecessors", the Serbs, which had direct associations with Byzantium.

• History and Archaeology
• Arts

• Art and religion

• http://ejournals.epublishing.ekt.gr/index.php/deltion/article/view/4135
• http://dx.doi.org/10.12681/dchae.414