Aegina town and Kolona – Τo the east of the Centre

To the east of the centre
Kyverneiou Street is the best point of departure for finding the church of Aghii Theodori, which is neither signed nor easy to locate and lies about 2km inland from the port. (From the house of Capodistrias on Kyverneiou, follow the street uphill (inland) without turning off, un til after 1km a busier road crosses at an oblique angle and there is a sandstone church with a red cupola on the right. By continuing here as straight as is possible and taking a narrow concrete road to the right-hand side just beyond the curve on the main road, the church will be on the right after 500m at a junction by an olive tree.) This tiny 13th century church—in the midst of pistachio orchards—is sometimes simply referred to as the ‘Omorphi Ekklisia’, or ‘beautiful church’. It appears to be built on the podium of a small ancient building, which stands about 40cm high from the ground, constructed of large rectangular blocks and clearly adapted on its eastern side to accommodate the apse of the church above. The church itself also in corporates a number of ancient blocks, one of which (northwest corner) has a fragmentary Byzantine inscription and what looks like a small part of an architectural drawing below. In the simple interior of the church is an almost complete *cycle of wall-paintings, dating from 1289, which have survived in good condition. In the over all tonality, two iron-oxide pigments—attic yellow and a dark red—predominate to the exclusion of all else. The figures are executed in a vigorous and stylised manner, with much emphasis on the highly-wrought lines of the drapery. A full repertory of scenes from the Life of Christ occupy the vault of the church, and a commanding image of the Virgin and Child flanked by Archangels occupies the conch of the apse.

Aegina Island is part of the Argosaronic Island group
Aegina town – Τo the east of the Centre