Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: Άρτα

From the beginning until the 10th century the region of Arta belonged to the Metropolis of Corinth and later to the Metropolis of Nicopolis. After the destruction of Nikopolis (11th century) the whole area of Epirus was subordinated to the Metropolis of Nafpaktos. Arta became the seat of a bishopric in the 12th century. The Metropolitan Church of St. Demetrios is located in the center of Arta.

The Bridge of Arta is a stone footbridge crossing the Arachthos river on the outskirts of town. The current bridge is Ottoman and most probably built from 1602 till 1606. However the history of a bridge on that place goes even back to the Roman period. From the annexation of Arta in 1881 to the outbreak of the First Balkan War in 1912, the highest point of the bridge was the border between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Greece. The bridge has a length of 145 meters and the width is 3.75 meters. It has four semicircular arches with no symmetry. The Bridge of Arta received many restorations and additions throughout its history. A major restoration took place during the decade of 1980, after which the bridge got back its beauty. A folk ballad tells a story of how builders were building the bridge, but its foundations would collapse each night. Finally a bird with a human voice informed the master builder that he should sacrifice his wife in order to complete the construction. She was buried alive in the foundations of the bridge. She first curses the bridge, but then turns the curse into a wish once she realizes her brother may cross the bridge. Thus the sacrifice is fulfilled and the spirits of the river all the bridge to be built successfully. In 1931, during repairs, a small room was discovered in one of the bridge pillars: it is claimed that a skeleton was indeed found there.

The picturesque village of Koronisia (or Korakonisia/Kyronisia) was an island until recently. Nowadays it is connected to the sore by Arta by a winding road wit sea on both sides. On one side lies the Amvracian Gulf and on the other the Tsoukalio lagoon with fishing facilities and a lot of bird life. Crossing it was quite an experience and we stopped several times enjoying the great views. Koronisia itself is a (former) fishing village which offers a lot of quietness, sea life and some local tavernas. The village has about 200 inhabitants. On a hill stands the Panagia Koronisia, one of the oldest Byzantine churches in Arta and an architectural juwel dating back to the late 10th century (although often closed, so told an owner of a taverna me). Nearby one can find the small fortress of Koulia with a remarkable modern architecture, nowadays an event venue. The scenic enviremont is also called “Greek Polynesia”.

The church of Panagia Parigoritissa, dedicated to the Annunciation, was built between 1285 and 1289 by the Epirus despot Nikiforos Komninos Doukas and his second wife Anna Palaiologina. It was formerly the katholion (= main church) of the largeStavropegian monastery. It became a dependence of the Kato Panaghia monastery, when it went bankrupt. The church is mentioned for the first time as a convent for nuns 1578. Seen from outside the church is a large, almost cubic three-storey building, which looks like an Italian palace. It is of the octagonal type with a central dome and also four smaller domes on each corner of the church's flat roof. The interior of the church is extremely elegant and lavishly decorated with wall paintings, sculptures (16th century) and an iconostasis, which replaced the original marble one. The nave is square and has no internal supports. The dome - adorned with mosaic depictions of the Pantocrator and the Prophets - rests on eight pilasters, on each of them stand three rows of smaller columns. This kind of architecture most probably has not been used to other Byzantine monuments. This makes the church very fascinating and quite unique. Nowadays Panagia Parigoritissa is a (kind of) museum, where on has to pay a small entrance fee.

The Byzantine Church of Panagia Vlacherna (Virgin Mary Church) is one of the most important Byzantine monuments of the medieval Epirus state. Initially it was dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. The church was initially the catholicon of a women’s monastery. Nowadays it serves at the parish church of the settlement of Vlacherna. The church is built atop a middle-byzantine era basilica (late 9th – early 10th century). The central arch of which consists as an arch of the current church. In the early 13th century the Vlacherna Church was built as three-aisled wooden roof basilica, which a few years later was transformed into the vaulted type with the addition of the domes. In the second half of the 13th century the narthex was added on the west side. The nave has important frescoes from the mid 13th century, while the frescoes in the narthex are from the end of the same century. The marble relief iconostasis is of remarkable craftsmanship.

The church of St. Theodora - the patron saint of Arta - is an important Byzantine church. Originally it was the katholikon of a monastery, where Theodora, the wife of Despot of Epirus Michael II Komnenos Doukas (1236-1271), was buried. The originally church was built - over the ruins of an older structure - in the 11th or 12th century as a three-aisled wooden-roofed basilica. This shape has remained almost unchanged till to this day. Around the year of 1270 Theodora renovated the church by adding the nartex and two pediments of the main church. The open colonnaded exonarthex was added in the lat 13th or early 14th century. Nowadays the Church of St. Theodora is considered being one of Arta’s most important monuments, not only for its morphology but mainly because this church is like a living connection of the present city with its Byzantine past since it is dedicated to its queen, the city’s Saint Theodora.

The Bridge of Arta is a stone footbridge crossing the Arachthos river on the outskirts of town. The current bridge is Ottoman and most probably built from 1602 till 1606. However the history of a bridge on that place goes even back to the Roman period. From the annexation of Arta in 1881 to the outbreak of the First Balkan War in 1912, the highest point of the bridge was the border between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Greece. The bridge has a length of 145 meters and the width is 3.75 meters. It has four semicircular arches with no symmetry. The Bridge of Arta received many restorations and additions throughout its history. A major restoration took place during the decade of 1980, after which the bridge got back its beauty. A folk tale tells a story of how builders were building the bridge, but its foundations would collapse each night. Finally a bird with a human voice informed the master builder that he should sacrifice his wife in order to complete the construction. She was buried alive in the foundations of the bridge. She first curses the bridge, but then turns the curse into a wish once she realizes her brother may cross the bridge. Thus the sacrifice is fulfilled and the spirits of the river all the bridge to be built successfully. In 1931, during repairs, a small room was discovered in one of the bridge pillars: it is claimed that a skeleton was indeed found there.

The church of the Panagia Parigoritissa, dedicated to the Annunciation, was built at the end of the 13th century by the despot Epirus Nikiphoros Komninos Doukas and his second wife Anna Paliologina. It was formerly the katholion (= main church) of a large monastery. It became a dependence of the Kato Panaghia monastery, when it went bankrupt. The church is mentioned for the first time as a convent for nuns 1578. Seen from outside the church is a large, almost cubic three-storey building. It is of the octagonal type with a central dome and also four smaller domes on each corner of the church's flat roof. The interior of the church is extremely elegant and lavishly decorated with wall paintings, sculptures (16th century) and a iconostasis, which replaced the original marble one. The nave is square and has no internal supports. The dome (main picture) - adorned with mosaic depictions of the Pantocrator and the Prophets - rests on eight pilasters, on each of them stand three rows of smaller columns. This kind of architecture most probably has not been used to other Byzantine monuments. This makes the church very fascinating and quite unique. Nowadays Panagia Parigoritissa is a (kind of) museum, where one has to pay a small entrance fee. But it allows visitors to take pictures.