ΤΑ ΚΙΟΝΟΚΡΑΝΑ ΤΟΥ ΝΑΟΥ ΤΗΣ ΑΓΙΑΣ ΘΕΟΔΩΡΑΣ ΣΤΗΝ ΑΡΤΑ

THE CAPITALS OF THE BYZANTINE CHURCH OF HAGIA THEODORA IN ARTA (EPIRUS, NW GREECE)

The byzantine church of Hagia Theodora in Arta is widely known, as it

is dedicated to the homonymous Saint, the patron Saint of Arta. Originally a monastery’s church dedicated to Hagios Georgios, it has been built according to the type of a three aisled basilica. It is a great middle-byzantine monument, which underwent various additions and other kinds of repairs, mainly in the second half of the 13th – beginning of the 14th centuries.

The capitals of Hagia Theodora are spolia to the church, as well as the four granite columns of the colonnades. Their origin is unknown. They belong to the type of composite Corinthian capital, the form they look during the Roman period. This type was mainly used during this time, but also during the early-Christian period, adapted to the artistic facts of the era.

The calathus of the composite Corinthian capitals is mainly crowned with ionic ripple or a ripple with ornament leaves between the corner volutes and it is decorated with plain acanthus leaves or ‘’mask’’ acanthus or ‘’butterfly’’ acanthus leaves or a combination of the two last types, as these of Hagia Theodora’s church in Arta.

The capitals with ‘’butterfly’’ acanthus constitute a small group of the category of capitals with flapping leaves, which includes few examples. Among these are the capitals of the nowadays destroyed church of Saint Andrew dei Goti, as well as the Church of Saint Apollinare in Classe in Ravenna. Few examples are also found in Constantinople and Greece. Because of the small number of surviving artifacts it is believed that the relief architectural sculptures of the ‘’butterfly’’ acanthus type were produced over a short period of time. It has also been claimed that the models are to be sought in Constantinople, although the most accurately dated butterfly acanthus capitals are decorated monuments in Ravenna, which was under the influence the artistic environment of Constantinople.

The capitals of Hagia Theodora in Arta discussed in this paper are significantly different than the aforementioned ones, because the peculiar acanthus is an individual feature of their decoration. Their calathus is decorated with seven-libe ‘’mask’’ acanthus leaves on the first zone and in the second one with pairs of ‘’butterfly’’ acanthus, which alternates with other big, upright acanthus leaves under the volutes. The leaves are on whole cartefully formed. We should point out that this type of ‘’butterfly’’ acanthus with the rich adornment is not found in the other known examples of the type, such as the capitals of the monuments in Ravenna. The eclectic and innovative carving of the capitals of Hagia Theodora’s church is characteristic, since in these artifacts there is a combination of older types of acanthus with new forms, as well as other elements, such as the rectangular frames with relief figures in two of the capitals

The architectural parts discussed in this paper have been dated generally to late 5th and first half of the 6th centuries. However the stylistic features (as the five tooth ‘’mask’’ acanthus leaves) could narrow down the date between 530 and the middle of the 6th century. As far as their origin is concerned (although chemical analyses certifying the origin of the marble have not yet been conducted), we consider possible that these capitals were produced by the workshops of Constantinople and they were probably transferred to Epirus unfinished. These sculptural parts were not massively produced and have been possibly intended for the decoration of a very important (probably church) building, as we could suggest.

Fragments of two other similar capitals came to light during the excavations of the byzantine church of Pantanassa in Philippiada, near Arta. Undoubtedly the four capitals of Hagia Theodora’s church and the two from Pantanassa belong to the same magnificent early-Christian building, (which probably had two colonnades with three columns each), that has not yet been discovered.

Varvara D. Papadopoulou

Dr Archeologist