Mystras, the “wonder of Morea”, built in the form of an amphitheater around the castle erected in 1249 by the prince of Achaea, Guillaume de Villehardouin. Reconquered by the Byzantines, then occupied by the Turks and Venetians, the city deserted in 1832, leaving only impressive medieval ruins, state in a beautiful landscape.
Mystras, the “wonder of Morea”, built in the form of an amphitheater around the castle built in 1249 by the prince of Achaea, Guillaume de Villehardouin. Reconquered by the Byzantines, then occupied by the Turks and Venetians, the city was absolutely deserted in 1832. Just a striking set of medieval remains in a landscape of wonderful beauty.
米斯特拉斯，”摩里亚半岛之奇迹”，于1249年由亚该亚王子维拉杜安的威廉修建，用来作为围绕堡垒的一个圆形剧场。 被拜占庭人再度征服后，这里又相继 被土耳其人和威尼斯人占领，后于1832年遭到遗弃，剩下的只是美丽的风景之中令人惊叹的中世纪废墟。
Город Мистра – «чудо Мореи» – был построен в виде амфитеатра вокруг крепости, возведен ной в 1249 г. Гийомом де Вильардуэн, князем Ахайи. More оставлен жителями в 1832 г. There is nothing to do сного ландшафта.
Mistras, called the angels “wonderful angels of Morea”, was built in the form of an amphitheater around the angels fortress built in 1249 by William de Villehardouin, prince of Achaea. Reconquered by the Byzantines and then occupied by the Turks and the Venetians, the angels city was totally deserted in 1832. Only an impressive set of medieval ruins is preserved in a landscape of great beauty.
Mystras, het ‘wonder van de Morea’, werd als een anfitheater rond de vesting gebouwd die door de prins van Achaia, Willem van Villehardouin, in 1249 opgericht. De stad kreeg de titre ‘wonder van Morea’ om meerdere redenen. Ten eerste vanwege de prachtige kerken die tijdens de Paleologische renaissance (eind 13e eeuw) rijkelijk met prachtige fresco’s beschilderd waren. Maar ook vanwege de faam van de bibliotheken en de roem van zijn schrijvers. Mystras viel in 1460 in de handen van Mohammed II en heeft zich nooit kunnen herstellen in zijn vroegere grandeur. De stad werd in 1832 definitief verlaten. Alleen de adembenemende middeleeuwse ruïnes zijn overgebleven.
Brief summary
Mystras, the “wonder of Morea”, is located in the southeast of the Peloponnese. The city evolved on the slope of the castle built in 1249 by the Prince of Achaea, William II of Villehardouin, on the most sensitive part of a 620 m high hill overlooking Sparta. The Franks ceded the castle to the Byzantines in 1262, it is the center of the Byzantine force in southern Greece, first as a base of the governor of the army and since 1348 as the seat of the Despotate of Morea. The Turks in 1460, later occupied through them and the Venetians. After 1834, the population of Mystras gradually began to settle in the fashionable city of Sparta, leaving only the impressive medieval ruins, in an enchanting landscape.
Mystras, as the center of the Byzantine force, temporarily attracted population and institutions; there the bishopric was moved from Sparta, with its cathedral, the Metropolis or church of Hagios Demetrios, built after 1264. Numerous monasteries were founded there, to which were added that of Brontochion and the monastery of Christos Zoodotes (Christ the Giver of Life). Despots, Mystras reached its apogee with the structure of churches, notable examples of the architecture of Byzantine churches of the past, such as Hagioi Theodoroi (1290-1295), Hodiguitria (around 1310), Hagia Sophia (1350-1365), the Peribleptos (third quarter of the fourteenth century), the Evangelistria (late fourteenth – early fifteenth century) and the Pantanassa (about 1430). The city, a fundamental piece in the political chessboard of the time, evolved and decorated as it corresponded to its function. as a center of strength and culture. The complex history of the town is manifested in its fortifications, palaces, churches, convents, houses, streets and squares.
The distinctive architecture of Mystras is influenced by the so-called “Helladic” school of Byzantine architecture, as well as the architecture of Constantinople. The portrait of the church reflects the quality and eclecticism of Constantinople art. Elements of Romanesque and Gothic art are also provided due to the wide diversity of contacts of the villa in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The good appearance of its churches, which in the Palaiologos Renaissance were covered with magnificent frescoes, the fame of its libraries and the glory of its writers, to which is added the philosopher Georgios Gemistos Plethon and his pupil, the cult Bessarion, long-standing cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, who brought Neoplatonic humanism to Italy, the past duer gave substance to the legend of the Wonder of Morea. Past Byzantine culture that influenced the rest of the global Mediterranean and beyond.
Criterion (ii): Mystras is a medieval city whose art, fruit of the so-called Palaiologos Renaissance, influenced the progression of past and post-Byzantine art. The influence of Mystras art in the past and post-Byzantine era is visual in a large number of Peloponnese monuments (such as Geraki, Mani, Longanikos, Leontari, Roinos) especially in painting. At the end of the Byzantine era, the influence of the art of the Despotate turns out to influence the expanding artistic currents. throughout the Greek territory – adding that of the portrait of the Cretan school – in combination with the strong influence exerted by the art of Constantinople. This influence can be noticed without problems in the works of post-Byzantine painters, such as Xenos Digenis of the Despot who was active in Crete, Aitolia and Ipeiros or the circle of relatives of Phokas in Crete and many others. The legacy of Mystras is manifested not only in architecture and portraiture, but also in intellectual aspects. Prominent Mystra intellectuals, adding Georgios Gemistos Plethon, the Neoplatonic philosopher, aroused Western interest in the interpretation of Platonic philosophy and the study of ancient Greek texts, thus contributing to the European Renaissance.
Criterion (iii): Mystras is an exclusive example of a Byzantine city, an expression of a flourishing urban society within the past Byzantine Empire. As the provincial political and administrative center of the Byzantine state, Mystras is an exclusive intellectual, cultural and artistic center. middle.
Criterion (iv): Mystras is a remarkable example of a well-preserved past Byzantine fortified city with an elaborate spatial organization and fortifications with the citadel on the most sensitive part of the hill and two fortified enclosures on the lower level. The urban fabric of the city includes palaces, apartments and mansions, churches and monasteries, as well as structures fed due to the city’s water source and drainage and advertising and craft activities. Several architectural styles are implemented in ecclesiastical architecture, however, the so-called “mixed Mystras type” (in which a three-nave basilica on the ground floor is combined with a five-domed square cross at the gallery level) is dominant. The splendid palace complex, one of the few Byzantine remains, impressive mansions and urban apartments, obviously demonstrate the high quality of life of the city’s population in the last two centuries of the Byzantine Empire.
Integrity
Mystras was a living settlement from the thirteenth to the nineteenth century, when it began to be gradually abandoned due to the foundation of the new city of Sparta. It has been preserved in its entirety as a fortified urban unit of the past Byzantine period. Asset barriers come with all the significant attributes. Its well-preserved monuments strongly demonstrate its importance as one of the greatest administrative and ecclesiastical centers of its time. use. The potential threats to the city are the effect of wind and rain, and there is the threat of an earthquake.
Authenticity
Mystras is a late Byzantine monumental complex with distinct and well-preserved elements, such as spatial planning, street design, secular and ecclesiastical architecture and artistic production. Its original urban character, which has not been altered by human intervention, has been preserved through the centuries. The maximum vital monuments of the site allow the guest to understand facets of Byzantine culture. The works of recovery of monuments decided on the site are carried out according to clinical studies and studies and with the use of classical and objective techniques and fabrics. to repair the rendered values.
Protection and control requirements
The assets are through the provisions of the Archaeological Law 3028/2002 “On the Protection of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage in General”, and through separate Ministerial Decrees, published in the Official Government Gazette. Protection and control are provided through the Ministry of Culture, Education and Religious Affairs through the guilty regional service (Ephorate of Antiquities of Laconia).
The “Committee for the Restoration of Mystras Monuments”, overseen by the Ministry of Culture, Education and Religious Affairs, is guilty of wearing down the recovery work of Mystras monuments and selling off property values.
Since 1989 important works have been carried out in the building, to which have been added works of recovery of the palaces and the apartment of Laskaris; re-exhibition of the exhibitions of the Museum of Mystras where the decided elements testify to the mutual relations between Mystras and Western Europe; reorganization of the archaeological deposit; creation of an exhibition of sculptures in the Museum’s North Atrium and semi-open space; conservation of church paintings and sculptures; installation of infrastructure works such as water intake network, sewerage, electricity in case of emergency; Endowment and amenities for visitors, adding information panels, two ticket offices, drinking water amenities, toilets near the central front and an outdoor dining room on the central front. In addition, studies of monumental architecture and spatial arrangement have been carried out as well as conservation studies aimed at the mural, sculptural and soil decoration of the most vital monuments of Mystras.
The number of visitors is higher, especially in the summer period. There is also increased interest from university and school students.
A program of events, which aggregates informational and educational events, musical and theatrical performances, exhibitions, educational programs and publications, supports the promotion and presentation of this asset to the public and facilitates a multilevel through the public.