01 May 2011

On Vacation: Ag. Paraskevi's Carvings



From Ag. Paraskevi, a 13th-century Latin Dominican priory church used since independence as the cathedral of Halkis, an assortment of medieval stone-carving on bosses and finials (one a Green Man). You can see most of the bosses from the front of the church, but the finials are all behind the iconostasis, carefully concealed from view.  To judge from the photographs, the quality of the carving is extremely fine. A later post will show other medieval treasures from Ag. Paraskevi. Pierre MacKay and restoration architect Nikos Delinikolas have written extensively about the church and the dating cannot be questioned, although there are those in Halkis who persist in calling it a Byzantine basilica, and others who say the origin is still under discussion.  These are not my photographs because the church caretaker and then the bishop's office would not permit me to photograph the carvings behind the iconostasis: I have collected them from the interwebs.









 


 





















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