Churches and Residences as Historical Evidence

In addition to food and clothing, housing plays one of the most important roles in the life of man. For this reason, the most important structures in a city are not the churches and public buildings, but the private residences. Still, churches and other public buildings posses a prominent importance, for they are frequently the best preserved buildings, and provide an insight into the technical skill of the artisans. This is not always the case with private residences.

Private dwellings, however, give an especially good idea of the every day life of the past, for they reflect the social stratification and the living conditions characteristic of a given society. For this reason the visitor's attention is directed especially to the private dwellings of Monemvasia. In most cases the reconstructed houses are not open to tourists. The ruins, however, are a kind of semi public area, and therefore offer the best view into the every day life of the earlier residents of the town.

It is impossible to avoid the use of several specialized architectural terms in discussing the churches. Please note the ground plan for clarification of various architectural elements. In the text below, when compass directions are given for purposes of orientation, it will be assumed that an apse always faces east, even when this is not actually the case (as with the Hagia Sophia, for example).