Church of St. Athanasius of Mouzaki

Church in Kastoria, Greece For other uses, see St. Athanasius' Church (disambiguation).

Church of Saint Athanasius of Mouzaki
Ναός του Αγίου Αθανασίου του Μουζάκη Shën Thanasi i Muzakajve
Church of St. Athanasius of Mouzaki in 2010
Religion
Affiliation	Eastern Orthodox
Leadership	Greek Orthodox Church
Location
Location	Kastoria, Greece
Geographic coordinates	40°30′55″N 21°16′02″E / 40.5152°N 21.2672°E / 40.5152; 21.2672
Architecture
Type	Church
Style	Byzantine architecture
Founder	Teodor II Muzaka and Stoya Muzaka
Completed	1384

St. Athanasius of Mouzaki (Greek: Άγιος Αθανάσιος του Μουζάκη) is a Greek Orthodox church located in Kastoria, Greece. It was built in 1383–84 by the brothers Teodor II Muzaka and Stoya Muzaka of the house of Muzaka, a noble Albanian family that controlled the city at the time, and dedicated to St. Athanasius It is considered one of the most important monuments of 14th century Kastoria and is the last church built in Kastoria before its annexation by the Ottoman Empire.

Decorations

The church is decorated with scenes of saints dressed in Byzantine clothing, a typical feature of Byzantine iconography. The frescoes are remarkable for depicting for the first time in Byzantine iconography, Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary in imperial costume. The depiction of Virgin Mary as a queen is an atypical feature for the Byzantine iconography. Another unusual feature of the church is that, despite the fact that St. Alexander is traditionally not included among the ranks of military saints, the church of St Athanasius of Mouzaki is decorated with a portrait of St. Alexander and St. Mercurios in military clothing. Within the church is also a fresco of Saint George who is painted rather strange and particularly odd in the Byzantine-styled art. He is wearing a mantle and a cloak that has a double-headed eagle with a star in the middle, similar to the one that the Byzantine emperor John V Palaiologos rewarded to Andrea II Muzaka from his victory over Vukašin of Serbia. This could possibly imply that during the Middle Ages, Andrea was viewed as a great warrior of God by the Albanian people.

Legacy

The church influenced greatly the artistic production of Kastoria and Western Macedonia in the late 14th and early 15th century.

Gallery

Images of the Church

Front view of the Church
Side view of the Church
Back view of the Church
The Founders Inscription with the names of the founders Stoya Muzaka and Teodor II Muzaka
Icons on the wall
Clement of Ohrid
Depiction of Andrea II Muzaka in the church. His coat of arms, awarded by the Byzantine emperor, can be seen on the fresco.
Depiction of Euphemia Mataranga, Despotissa Consort of Albania and wife of Andrea II.
Frescoes of Saints Theodore Tiron and Theodore Stratelates
Fresco of the entry of Christ into Jerusalem
Fresco of the Raising of Lazarus
A scene from the church depicting the Dormition of the Mother of God