Zarakas Monastery
Encyclopedia
Zaraka monastery is a ruined Frankish abbey near Stymfalia
, in the Peloponnese
, in Greece
. It was built on the shores of Lake Stymphalia
during the "Frangokratia
", i.e. the occupation of parts of the Byzantine Empire
by Franks
and Venetians, following the events of the Fourth Crusade
in 1204, and the establishment of the Latin Empire of Constantinople and Greece.
The monastery was built by monks of the Cistercian Order, in c. 1225. What is particularly noteworthy about this monastery is that it the only one actually built by the Cistercians in Greece (out of the approx. 17-19 houses throughout Greece), since in all other occasion the Cistercians had occupied existing Greek Orthodox monasteries that had been abandoned by the Greek monks.
In this respect it is one of the exceptionally few samples of western Gothic architecture in Greece, along with the (most likely Benedictine
) monastery of Isova
in the western Peloponnese (just north of the village of Trypiti).
Archaeologists believe that the abbey had been built in the same location, or general area as an Ancient Greek temple dedicated to Artemis
, which is supported by the fact that materials from an temple have been extensively used in the buildings of the monastery.
The monastery makes sporadic appearance in the Statutes of the Cistercian General Chapter and it was one of the houses granted special exemption from the compulsory annual attendance at the General Chapter, and along with the houses in Syria and the Crusader States it was only required to attend once every seven years. The monastery was abandoned in 1276.
The main surviving structures are the imposing gate house and the forward section of the church.
Stymfalia
Stymphalia is a village and a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Sikyona, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 2,852 . The seat of the municipality was in Kalianoi, 41 km southwest of the town of...
, in the Peloponnese
Peloponnese
The Peloponnese, Peloponnesos or Peloponnesus , is a large peninsula , located in a region of southern Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Gulf of Corinth...
, in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. It was built on the shores of Lake Stymphalia
Lake Stymphalia
Lake Stymphalia is located in the north-eastern part of the Peloponnese, in the Corinthia prefecture. It is a Wetlands area, a popular farming area. Usually this area around the lake is fairly dry underfoot. In certain weather conditions thousands of small green frogs hide in the damp grass from...
during the "Frangokratia
Frangokratia
The Frankokratia or Frangokratia , also known as Latinokratia is the period in Greek history after the Fourth Crusade , when a number of Western European Crusader states were established in Greece, on the territory of the dissolved Byzantine Empire .The term derives from the fact that Orthodox...
", i.e. the occupation of parts of the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
by Franks
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
and Venetians, following the events of the Fourth Crusade
Fourth Crusade
The Fourth Crusade was originally intended to conquer Muslim-controlled Jerusalem by means of an invasion through Egypt. Instead, in April 1204, the Crusaders of Western Europe invaded and conquered the Christian city of Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire...
in 1204, and the establishment of the Latin Empire of Constantinople and Greece.
The monastery was built by monks of the Cistercian Order, in c. 1225. What is particularly noteworthy about this monastery is that it the only one actually built by the Cistercians in Greece (out of the approx. 17-19 houses throughout Greece), since in all other occasion the Cistercians had occupied existing Greek Orthodox monasteries that had been abandoned by the Greek monks.
In this respect it is one of the exceptionally few samples of western Gothic architecture in Greece, along with the (most likely Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
) monastery of Isova
Isova
Isova is a ruined Frankish monastery in the Peloponnese, Greece, which was built after the Fourth Crusade and inhabited by Cistercian monks.The two surviving structures, unsignposted, near the modern town of Trypiti show strong Gothic influences...
in the western Peloponnese (just north of the village of Trypiti).
Archaeologists believe that the abbey had been built in the same location, or general area as an Ancient Greek temple dedicated to Artemis
Artemis
Artemis was one of the most widely venerated of the Ancient Greek deities. Her Roman equivalent is Diana. Some scholars believe that the name and indeed the goddess herself was originally pre-Greek. Homer refers to her as Artemis Agrotera, Potnia Theron: "Artemis of the wildland, Mistress of Animals"...
, which is supported by the fact that materials from an temple have been extensively used in the buildings of the monastery.
The monastery makes sporadic appearance in the Statutes of the Cistercian General Chapter and it was one of the houses granted special exemption from the compulsory annual attendance at the General Chapter, and along with the houses in Syria and the Crusader States it was only required to attend once every seven years. The monastery was abandoned in 1276.
The main surviving structures are the imposing gate house and the forward section of the church.
Sources
- E. A. R. Brown 'The Cistercians in the Latin Empire of Constantinople and Greece, 1204-1276', Traditio vol.14 (1958), 63-120
- B. Kitsiki-Panagopoulos, Cistercian and Mendicant Monasteries in Medieval Greece (Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 1979)
- P. Lock, The Franks in the Aegean, 1204-1500 (Longman, 1995)
- D. H. Williams, The Cistercians in the Early Middle Ages, 1098-1348 (Gracewing, 1998)
- Excavation report my Sheila D. Campbell http://www.arts.mun.ca/mouseion/1997/campbell/index.html