Church of the Dormition of Virgin Mary in Zourtsa

The Holy Church of the Dormition of Virgin Mary is located at a close distance from Nea Phigaleia settlement of the Municipality of Zacharo in Ilia. It has been proposed to identify it with the katholikon of the Monastery of Panagia Vogali, which is connected with the Monastery of Brontochion in Mystras. Excavation research and the remains can confirm its characterization as a katholikon of a monastery. The erection date of the monument is placed at the end of the 10th century.

The church is preserved today after being modified. Initially, its form was a three-aisled, wooden-roofed basilica, separated by rows of pillars. The nave, elevated, was covered with a saddleback roof and had six arched windows in the long walls, while the side aisles are lower and had lean-to roofs. To the east the sanctuary of the church ends in a three-sided apse with the middle one distinguished for its rich ceramic decoration, while to the west there was a narthex that communicated with the church through three entrances.

Over the years, the monument underwent several interventions that changed its original form. The current church consists of the north aisle and the nave, which have a unified saddleback roof, while the windows of the nave have been removed. On the south side, the row of pillars has been turned into a wall and the southern aisle of the church became a chapel dedicated to St. John, which, however, slowly fell into disrepair after parts of its masonry collapsed. The western wall of the main church and the western wall of the narthex also suffered a partial collapse. According to an engraving found on the lintel of the newer western entrance, in 1887 a new wall was built which is also the current facade of the monument.

The Ministry of Culture in 1980 carried out the conservation and restoration of the eastern facade of the church, while in 2016 the support, restoration and highlighting of the monument was completed as well as the shaping of the surrounding area.
 

Copyediting: Ephorate of Antiquities of Ilia