Church of the Taxiarches Glezos

At one of the most tourist areas of Mani, at Pyrgos Dirou, at the settlement of Glezos, is the Byzantine church of the Taxiarches.

It dates from the second half of the 11th century and belongs to the type of two-columned, cross-in-square church.

Its walls are built with the usual cloisonné system of masonry used in the Middle Byzantine period. There are glazed tiles in some parts, while in later time, during interventions and additions, they walled-in marble sculptures from the Middle Byzantine period. The octagonal dome is of the “Athenian type” with limestone columns on the corners.

The church has rich sculpted decoration. From the wall paintings that covered its interior only fragments survive, like the figure of the Pantokrator at the dome. The built screen is more recent.