Agios Demetrios Cathedral

Mystras, Greece

One of the most important churches of Mystras is the Cathedral of Agios Demetrios, built in 1280- 1292. It is the oldest church in the city.

This church has a mixed architectural style: on the one hand it has a three-aisled basilica with a narthex and a bell tower, built in the 13th century on the ground floor, and on the other hand, the upper floor is a cross-in-square church, added in the first half of the 15th century. Its interior is decorated with wall paintings in many different styles. This is where the last Byzantine emperor, Constantinos Paleologos, was crowned in 1449.

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Address

Unnamed Road, Mystras, Greece
See all sites in Mystras

Details

Founded: 1280-1292
Category: Religious sites in Greece

More Information

www.greeka.com
whc.unesco.org

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

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User Reviews

Bruno Bilo' (3 years ago)
Sito archeologico fantastico. Faticoso ma vale ogni goccia di sudore
Roxane Glt (4 years ago)
quite a lot of climbing but you can buy cheap water bottles and the place is so beautiful! When at the top, the view is simple breathtaking.
Geert Loosveld (4 years ago)
Magnificent place at its best without crowds; very hot & dry, no shadow, bring hiking shoes
Nancy Gavakou (4 years ago)
A church you must visit
brian king (6 years ago)
This looks like an amazing ancient city. It's probably spectacular. It would be fantastic if the employees decided to, you know, put on their big boy pants and go to work. Sadly I traveled to Sparti just to see this site. I've hung out for two days waiting for it to be open to view. There is only a sign behind the locked gate saying that it's closed because the employees opted to not work today. Constant flow of visitors leaving disappointed. What a disservice (withholding expletives). I don't know what to tell you other than set aside a week in Greece just to try everyday hoping it will be open one of them.
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Palazzo Colonna

The Palazzo Colonna is a palatial block of buildings built in part over ruins of an old Roman Serapeum, and has belonged to the prestigious Colonna family for over twenty generations.

The first part of the palace dates from the 13th century, and tradition holds that the building hosted Dante in his visit to Rome. The first documentary mention notes that the property hosted Cardinal Giovanni and Giacomo Colonna in the 13th century. It was also home to Cardinal Oddone Colonna before he ascended to the papacy as Martin V (1417–1431).

With his passing, the palace was sacked during feuds, and the main property passed into the hands of the Della Rovere family. It returned to the Colonna family when Marcantonio I Colonna married Lucrezia Gara Franciotti Della Rovere, the niece of pope Julius II. The Colonna"s alliance to the Habsburg power, likely protected the palace from looting during the Sack of Rome (1527).

Starting with Filippo Colonna (1578–1639) many changes have refurbished and create a unitary complex around a central garden. Architects including Girolamo Rainaldi and Paolo Marucelli labored on specific projects. Only in the 17th and 18th centuries were the main facades completed. Much of this design was completed by Antonio del Grande (including the grand gallery), and Girolamo Fontana (decoration of gallery). In the 18th century, the long low facade designed by Nicola Michetti with later additions by Paolo Posi with taller corner blocks (facing Piazza Apostoli) was constructed recalls earlier structures resembling a fortification.

The main gallery (completed 1703) and the masterful Colonna art collection was acquired after 1650 by both the cardinal Girolamo I Colonna and his nephew the Connestabile Lorenzo Onofrio Colonna and includes works by Lorenzo Monaco, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Palma the Elder, Salviati, Bronzino, Tintoretto, Pietro da Cortona, Annibale Carracci (painting of The Beaneater), Guercino, Francesco Albani, Muziano and Guido Reni. Ceiling frescoes by Filippo Gherardi, Giovanni Coli, Sebastiano Ricci, and Giuseppe Bartolomeo Chiari celebrate the role of Marcantonio II Colonna in the battle of Lepanto (1571). The gallery is open to the public on Saturday mornings.

The older wing of the complex known as the Princess Isabelle"s apartments, but once housing Martin V"s library and palace, contains frescoes by Pinturicchio, Antonio Tempesta, Crescenzio Onofri, Giacinto Gimignani, and Carlo Cesi. It contains a collection of landscapes and genre scenes by painters like Gaspard Dughet, Caspar Van Wittel (Vanvitelli), and Jan Brueghel the Elder.

Along with the possessions of the Doria-Pamphilij and Pallavacini-Rospigliosi families, this is one of the largest private art collections in Rome.

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