The Church of Panagia Chrysaphitissa
This building was formerly known as the church of Hagios Stephanos of Crete, probably because it was built for the order of St. Stephen of Crete, founded in 1562. This whitewashed church with red tile roof shows the signs of additions and alterations. The eastern part of the building (diaconicon, prothesis, bema) dates from the sixteenth century, and is probably the remains of a triple naved structure that was destroyed in 1690 when Morosini conquered Monemvasia.
All that remained were the apses. To these a large cupolated central hall and a narthex were added during the second brief Venetian rule (see plate 18).
The peculiar appearance of the structure results from the fact that the seventeenth century reconstruction had larger dimensions than the earlier building, but still had to fit within the old street grid that encircled the church. Looking at the church today with its open square it is easy to forget that it was once embedded among houses and streets. Only in recent times has the removal of ruins opened up a place for church festivals.
The arches in the nave are the pointed Italo Byzantine type. The round arch in the west wall that connects the nave to the narthex seems rather foreign. The pointed arch in the east wall, over the entrance to the bema and over the dummy entrances to the side apses, likewise seems foreign. The narthex is distorted, for its south wall (3.2 meters) is longer than its north wall (2.2 meters). This asymmetrical ground plan is most noticeable in the shape of the roof of the narthex. The marble rosettes in the three apses date from the sixteenth century. They are a particularly good example of the artistic skill of Greek artisans at the time. Unfortunately, the square glass windows that have been placed in front of the marble rosettes detract from the latter.
The present name for the church, Panagia Chrysaphitissa, derives from an icon housed in the small chapel next to the church, "to jero pigadhi" (the holy spring). A popular legend about the origin of the icon demonstrates that the dividing line between religion and superstition is very vague also for the Laconian peasantry. According to the story, upon orders from the Blessed Virgin, the holy icon flew to Monemvasia from Chrysapha, a few kilometers east of Sparta, under its own power. In a dream the Blessed Virgin revealed to an old woman of Monemvasia that she would find the icon at the site of a spring. Near this point the local residents then built the church. The residents of Chrysapha, however, had their own idea about this miraculous flight. They suspected a theft, came to Monemvasia under a pretext and fetched back their icon. But just like a bird the icon is to have flown back over the Laconian mountains to its new chapel. The people of Chrysapha finally settled for a substitute icon, which the triumphant people of Monemvasia sent to them. Since then the icon has not found it necessary to make any more flights. Each year on the first monday after orthodox' Easter Monday processions and elaborate ceremonies begin the festival of the Panagia Chrysaphitissa. Other than Easter it is the greatest religious festival in Monemvasia, and greatly overshadows the church festivals of Christos Elkomenos (December 25), and of Hagia Sophia (September 14).
Several steps lead down into the newly renovated chapel of "to jero pigadhi." Several contemporary icons bring back into memory the holy icon of Chrysapha. The water of the sacred well tastes brackish. This indicates that this is not a spring at all, but rather a fissure in the rock that has let in sea water.
A large field of ruins stretches eastward from the church of Panagia Chrysaphitissa and from the chapel "to jero pigadhi" all the way to the city wall. We can follow the path along the south wall to the sentry box in the southeast corner, and then proceed along the east wall toward the cliff. The south wall has two different types of crenelation dating from different time periods. In the east wall about the level of the eastern portal, the crenelation changes to step like ledges and gradations. Behind the east wall there are only rugged rocks and a lighthouse which make it possible to sail safely around the east end of the rock at night.
The large estate, surrounded by a wall, next to the south wall and facing the church used to house the German officers' mess during the German occupation of Monemvasia. Its buildings were erected and destroyed during the Second World War. Today the ruins are reconstructed as a beautiful private home with a shadowy inner courtyard.
Following the wall back toward Panagia Chrysaphitissa, and going beyond the former officers' mess, we come to the first of three balconies built over the path along the south wall. These project out over the walkway toward the seaward wall. Next we cross a street that passes below our path, through a gate in the south wall, out to the sea. The gate is known as "Portello." To get to this street we must make three right turns starting from the south wall at the point where the street passes below the walkway. This will bring us to a small alley and to a stairway leading down to "Portello." Passing through the "Portello" gate, we find ourselves on a cemented area outside of the city walls. Here tourists who have strayed this far off the beaten track can join the local residents at their favorite place for swimming.
At this point the south wall has quite an imposing height (see plate 4), but only a view from the sea allows us to appreciate its proportions correctly (see plate 5). Altogether the south wall is about 500 meters long and as much as 60 meters high.
