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267-1458
THE
ACROPOLIS
On the
Acropolis, during this period only the Parthenon, the Propylaea and the
Erechteum still exist from the ancient structures. The hill is refortified with
the addition of towers. The monuments are converted either to churches or to
fortresses. The hill changes image depending on who owns the city (Byzantines,
Franks, Catalans, Venetians). Herein, the monuments are depicted as they were
during the short Venetian occupation (1395-1403).
To see the
images in full screen, just click on them!
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General
view of the Medieval Acropolis. The Propylaea are now a fortified
palace, the Parthenon a Christian church with a bell tower and the
Erechtheum, headquarters of the castle. On the top left in the
first picture and in the second one, with the Venetian flag stands
the Belvedere tower, where the Greek flag still stands today.
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The Parthenon
The
Parthenon had suffered fire damages
possibly from
the Heruli invasion
in 267 A.D. It was in this fire that the roof collapsed and the inner
double colonnade was destroyed. In the repairs that followed, it was
economically impossible to restore the roof as it was. Therefore, a new one was
constructed that covered only the cella leaving the outer colonnade uncovered.
With the order to convert the ancient temples to christian churches, the
Parthenon was dedicated (possibly in the 6th century)
to the Holy Wisdom and later
to Mary the Mother of God in Athens (Panagia i
Athiniotissa). On
the east facade, the entrance was blocked in order to create an arch for the
Sanctuary. The interior was richly decorated with frescoes and
mosaics, the most famous of which, the one of Mary on the
cupola of the Sanctuary. In the first years of the Latin Domination (13th c.),
a
tower (probably
a
bell tower)
is built in the south part of the opisthonaos
and the temple becomes a catholic church of Notre Dame.
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The
Parthenon as a church from the east. |
Saint
Mary of Athens
or
Notre Dame (Parthenon)
with the bell tower from the west. |
A view
of the new roof of the Parthenon. On the
top left, the bell tower, and down right the arc with the cupola
in the pronaos. |
The new
east face of the Parthenon as a church with the arc. To build it,
part of the entablature, the frieze and the pediment, was
destroyed. |
Propylaia
The
Propylaia met many different phases of conversion to a fortress. In here, the
building is presented in its later form. At a great extent, these fortifications
and the towers were still visible until 1835 when were torn down in "favour" of
the neoclassical movement that was dominating Europe at this time.
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The
Propylaea from the northwest. The central staircase was modified
to a helical road between the walls. The central entrance of the
building is sealed and the entrance is for security reasons being
done from the back. |
The
Propylaea from the southwest. The space between the columns is
closed with stones, while on the second floor are the apartments
of the governor. |
View
from the southeast. The ancient building of Mnesicles can be
slightly discerned. |
View
from the northeast. On the bottom right is the main gate of the
building. In order to enter Acropolis one had to pass from
the helical road for security reasons and make the circle of the
building as the ancient entrance was sealed. |
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The
interior of the court in the Propylaea (behind "Pinakotheke"). In
the middle is the catholic chapel of the palace. |
The
central building of the Propylaea from the west, alongside with
the Frankish Tower. |
The,
now sealed, ancient entrance to the Acropolis. On the left, the "Pinakotheke". |
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Erechteum
The
Erechteum had multiple conversions. It begun as a
Christian basilica church. After the roof collapsed, new buildings were
constructed in the interior, while the rest of the area served as a court.
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The
Erechteum after the medieval add-ons. |
The
Erechteum from the west. The north entrance is also closed with
walls. |
On the
north side a new building was added as an extension to the north
entrance. |
The
interior of the Erechteum as a court with buildings. |
For other monuments of
Medieval Athens click below:
THE AGORA
SOUTH SLOPE OF ACROPOLIS
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