Kastoria Western Macedonia Page 2

The Museum of Folk Traditions

The 17th century Narandzis Aivazis mansion, inhabited until 1972, has been turned into the Museum of Folk Traditions on Odhos Kapetan Lazou 10 (open daily 10am-noon, 4-7pm; .75 euros admission).

The architecture of this well preserved mansion is simple and with less ornate adornments than the later mansions, but the interior gives a good picture of the life a a wealthy Macedonian family in earlier times. Around the paved hall on the ground floor are storerooms for food, wine and wood, and also the kneading trough; in the courtyard are kitchens and ovens, a boat shed, fishing gear, and a well. The summer saloni (salon / living room) is now occupied by a furrier's workshop. The winter living room, which has a chimney, is reached by a platform. The reception room (also used for dancing), is in the center of the upper floor, which has painted walls and ceilings. In the parlor, dignitaries were received, separated from the rest of the room by a balustrade; the ladies received guests in a smaller room to the southeast. Young girls watched the parties from their own quarters on the north side of the house.

In addition to the mansions of the wealthy that survive, there are also more simple houses, some of them higher up on the peninsula, where the steepness of the slopes discouraged the cement mixers, which have sounded the death knell for so much of Greece's older structures and neighborhoods.

The Byzantine Museum

There are also about fifty Byzantine and medieval churches here though there were once 75) From of them dating from the 10th century The keys to these churches are to be sought at the Byzantine museum on Platisa Dhexamenis. Open Tues-Sun 8:30am-3pm, free. The collection spans the 12th to 16th centuries, displaying works of art from the region's churches.

Aghi Anargiri Varlaam This church, probably built in the 10th century, is situated high above the lake and is one of the largest in Kastoria. It was dedicated to the sainted physicians who didn't' solicit fees from those who afflictions they treated, the Greek word 'anaryris' meaning 'without silver'. Some say the saints were Kosmas and Damian, though the title also is used for St. Pantaleon and St. Ermolaos, who are depicted in the porch area. The interior frescoes are mostly 11th or 12th century though an earlier layer from the 10th century is discernible in some places within the church. The depiction of the Virgin flanked by archangels Michael and Gabriel is also found here, as in the nave at Taxiarkhis Mitropoleos, though here St. Kosmas and St. Damian stand above them. Other figures in the many frescoes in this church include The Virgin with the church founders, St. George and St. Demetrios in armor, and an Entombment of Christ.

Panaghia Koubelidiki was built in the middle of the 19th century near the kastro, and was dedicated to the Virgin ('Panaghia') and is the only domed church in the city of Kastoria. The dome has a tall drum,which gives it its name from the Turkish word for drum, 'kouben'. The frescoes, dating from 1496, include 'Herod's Feast and the 'Virgin of Sorrows'. There are also some from the 13th century. In the narthex vault is the Holy Trinity, which is a rarity in Byzantine churches. Above the narthex door in the nave the 'Dormition of the Virgin' includes a seated Christ -also unusual, as he is usually shown standing. He is holding a child which symbolizes the Virgin's soul.

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