Kritsa.
Kritsa.
CRETE
284
499. Kritsa, Saint John in the Cemetery,
wall paintings (Κριτσά, Άγιος Ιωάννης
του Νεκροταφείου, τοιχογραφίες)
499. Kritsa, Panagia Kera, Saint
Anne aisle, wall paintings (Κριτσά,
Παναγία Κερά, κλίτος Αγίας Άννας,
τοιχογραφίες)
499. Kritsa, Panagia Kera, Saint Anne aisle, wall painting (Κριτσά,
Παναγία Κερά, κλίτος Αγίας Άννας, τοιχογραφία)
499. Kritsa, Panagia Kera
(Κριτσά, Παναγία Κερά)
oration follows the construction history of the church and rep-
resents the various evolutionary phases of Cretan art. The of-
ficiating prelates and the deacons in the conch of the nave are
the sole remnants of the original decoration, dating from the
early 13th c. The Ascension in the E section of the barrel vault,
the Pantokrator with Prophets, Angelic Forces, and Apostles
in the dome, evangelical scenes and full-body saints in its W
section are examples of archaic Cretan painting of the second
half of the 13th c. There is a rare and remarkable depiction on
the side walls of Saint Francis of Assisi among saints of the
Byzantine church calendar.
The S aisle, dedicated to Saint Anne, is decorated with the
most complete life cycle of the Virgin Mary in Crete, a typi-
cal example of Palaeologan art on the island, dating from the
mid-14th c. The wall-paintings in the N aisle with the exten-
sive scene of the Second Coming belong to the same artis-
tic tradition, but featuring a more provincial style. Saint John,
in the cemetery, is a small barrel-vaulted church decorated
with evangelical scenes, the life of Prodromos and scenes of
the damned in hell. A dedicatory inscription dates the folk-
style painting to 1390. The small single-nave church of Saint
George displays frescοes of two periods. The decoration in
the conch of the bema and the E section of the barrel vault is
archaic painting (second half of the 13th c.), while the W sec-
tion features evangelical scenes and episodes from the life of
Saint George (early 14th c.). Remnants of frescoes dated to
1354-5 by inscriptions have been discovered in the church of
Saint Constantine.
499. Kritsa, Saint George, wall painting (Κριτσά, Άγιος Γεώργιος,
τοιχογραφία)
