Friday, April 15, 2011

The frescoes of St Theodore














Mystra, the last capital of the Byzantine empire. Today the old city of Mystra lies on a hill among ruins and somewhat restored buildings. The palace, at the top of the hill is a hollowed shell of stones. The building of St Theodore was restored in 1932 and the frescoes was cleaned and this is what remains today. Most Byzantine churches are dark. Most of the walls of this church have disappeared and glass walls replaces them. That is why light pours in and this place is so light and airy. But the light will fade the frescoes and they too will disappear not long from now. There are a lot of the world's treasures in Tunisia, in Yemen, in Iraq, in Syria and in Libya that will disappear if conservation is not done and peace restored to these places.
I read that frescoes could still be viewed here and that is why I rushed to visit Mystra. The frescoes in the rock cut churches of Cappadocia that I saw last year has whetted my appetite for more frescoes. I wasn't disappointed.

No comments: