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Type: Free - Cross
Date: 13th century
Description:
When we exit Markopoulo, on the left side of the highway leading to Sounio, within the boundaries of the archaeological site of Merenda, we find a group of monuments dated from Late Antiquity till the late Byzantine period. Dagla hill is in this area, where the ancient demos of Agnouns used to be in antiquity. The church of Taxiarchis is preserved intact among the temple ruins, in the west of the Frankish Tower on the top of the hill.
The church is free cross-plan. Today, there are additions on its western side and white washes on the facets where the initial stonework of the monument used to be.
The wall paintings of Taxiarchis, which are dated to the end of the 13th century, are mainly preserved in the sanctuary and the dome. Theotokos standing with Christ in front of her chest (Kyriotissa) is depicted on the apse. She is escorted by two supplicating angels, whereas four hierarchs are shown on the lower zone. The figure of Pantokrator dominates the dome, whereas prophets and saints in pairs are depicted on the drum. The presence of healing saints on the dome (Hagioi Anargyroi, Hagios Panteleimon, Hagia Theodoti) is the survival of an old tradition. Furthermore, it indicates that the unknown owner of the church might have initially dedicated it to their memory. The wall paintings are attributed to two groups of painters, something common in the churches of Attica of the same era. They can be placed among the third and somehow rural trend (there are two other chief stylistic trends in Attica of that period), according to which the painters paint with simple means expressive faces with spiritual tension.
Among the monuments of the hill, the remnants of the church of Hagios Konstantinos are still found in the north of Taxiarchis. On the side of the hill there is a tower dated to the Frankish period. On its eastern side there are ruins of an anonymous church. On the southern foot of the hill near the Frankish Tower there are the ruins of the early Christian basilica of Hagios. Aimilianos with four established building phases.
Bouras C.-Kaloyeropoulou A.-Andreadi R., Churches of Attica, Athens 1970, p.156-157, plan XVIII, photos no:144-156.
Artistic trends in Attica: The dominant trends in 13th century Attica are the following: the first and the most aristocratic one is represented by the wall paintings of Hagios Georgios in Oropos. The second one is represented by the wall paintings of Pentelis Cave and is characterized by the attachment to the Comnenian artistic models. The third and the most common one is chiefly represented by the wall paintings of Taksiarchis Daglas. It is the same rural art, which is conventionally called monastic, and was common in the 11th century. However, it never ceased to exist even after the end of the 12th century in Greece and the islands, as well as in Italy.