PIGMENTS IDENTIFICATION: COMPARATIVE EXAMINATION OF MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES IN THE HERMITAGE ASCENSION IN PYTHION OF OLYMPUS, GREECE

Authors: Katsantoni Meropi, Ganetsos Theodore, Theologos Alexandrakis & Panagiotis Douros

ABSTRACT

Pythion is a settlement of the municipality of Olympus in the regional unit of Larissa. It is located on the southwest side of Mount Olympus, in an amphitheatre position at an altitude of about 725 meters.  The word Pythion probably comes from the god Pythian Apollon of Greek mythology. Its oldest name was Selos.

The village remains important during the Byzantine period, a fact that is proven by the Post-Byzantine Hermitages that survive there. These were practised by monks who later manned the monasteries of the area. The best-preserved hermitages are located on the hillside, where the hermitage of the Ascension at the foot and the Holy Cross is a little higher.

The hermitage of the Ascension extends into a spacious cave and includes five irregular spaces. The first two rooms are almost outdoors and served as vestibules of the nave. The access to the temple is made through an arched gate. The chapel consists of a chamber whose side walls have two arched openings that communicate with the interior of the cave.  The only murals that have survived are of the archangels Michael and Gabriel which are found in the interior of the gate that leads to the temple and dates back to the 14th century (Gialouri et al., 2014).

The present research study focuses on the analysis of 14th-century mural pigments using spectroscopic non-destructive techniques pXRF and portable Raman.

Keywords: Pigments, Raman, XRF, Identification, Wall Paintings

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