The Architecture of Panagia Paramythia (Vlach-Sarai)

In the article about the Holy Church of Panagia Paramythia or Panagia Vlach-Sarai between Balatas and Phanar, we must remember that the wider area of ​​Phanar was a pole of attraction for the leading figures of the Orthodox people during the Ottoman Empire, who accepted the Patriarch as religious and political leader, as he had been appointed the representative of all who belonged to the millet of Rum, the Roma.

In the area of ​​Balatas, the Phanariots not only built their palaces and mansions for the period of their stay in the city, but also churches for their congregation. Panagia Paramythia was such a church.

 Although it was part of a relatively small complex, its historical importance lies in the fact that it served as a Patriarchal Church after the Monastery of Pammakaristos. Also, as has been commented at length in the previous article, the Patriarchal honor on behalf of the Synod with a `chrysobull’, the Patriarchal status of the Church of Moscow, was recognized there. There it was decided that in the diptychs the Moscow Church would be the fifth Orthodox Patriarchate in order and recognize the "first" of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Finally, the implementation of the new calendar (Gregorian calendar) was rejected there. For these reasons and others, this church is considered important and should receive the corresponding attention today. 

 It suffered successive disasters with the last fire of 1974, which completely destroyed this historic Church. In defiance of the times, and after receiving the relevant registration of the property, the Church and the damaged areas around it, was registered in the name of the Foundation of the Virgin of Paramythia, and the way was opened for the restoration of the entire complex, for both the church and of the adjacent buildings within the courtyard area. The committee is working feverishly to raise financial resources in order to rebuild from the ground up.

 Even though the church of Panagia Paramythia is considered small, its architecture and church structure are of particular interest, because it is a historical monument of great importance in the course of Orthodoxy both in the city and far beyond its narrow borders.

 It was founded in the area that was the center of Orthodoxy. During the Ottoman administration and politics, the Orthodox were not divided into nations, writes the art historian Hairi Fechmi Yilmaz, as for the Ottoman Empire "the Orthodox were one nation". This is how they appeared in the sources. For example, "the Orthodox Vlachs of Romania or the Middle East were one nation".  At this time, we are talking about millet, based on religion and not so much ethnic origin. Thus, the area on the shores of the Golden Horn Bay, and especially Phanar, with the Patriarchate as its nucleus, was considered the center of the entire Orthodox world.

 Gerlach notes that the Church of Vlach-Sarai was rebuilt on top of a palace in the 16th century for the Princes of Wallachia. It is not known exactly when the palace was rebuilt. But it is said to have been granted by Sultan Suleiman in 1529 to the Rulers from Wallachia, although this information is not confirmed. However, it was donated to the Patriarchate of Constantinople by the descendants of the Rulers of Wallachia; and in 1587, it became the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate after Pammakaristo.

 As the complex has a large area, terraces have been constructed to create terraces and to allow the construction of buildings. The irregular plot in which the Vlach-Sarai is built is also shaped on such terraces. Access to the building is only from the first floor. Of course, there is also a side entrance. Worthy of attention is a monumental plane tree in the courtyard.

On the "Blue German Maps" of the city, dated 1916, the area where the building is located is shown in detail. The street in front of the church is marked as "Ulah Sarai Kilisesi sokagi", i.e. street of the Vlach Church, in Latin letters.  On the insurance (fire protection) map, drawn by the surveyor Zak Pervić, in 1929, on behalf of the "Central Directorate of Insurers of Turkey", the church building and its surroundings appear in great detail.  On this map, the church, which is the largest building in the complex, appears as a stone-built structure, stone, while next to it the two sides of the building are marked as wooden structures, which may have been designed as a "chapel", as marked on the map in Greek designation. Inside the courtyard, there are four wooden buildings. These are two-story and one-story constructions.

In general, the church reflects the qualities of the Christian architecture of the pre-Reformation period [i.e. before 1839]. However, as noted in an inscription in Greek, which is on the wall of the church, on May 1, 1840, the building was rebuilt from scratch. Thus, it is concluded that the wooden narthex and the other spaces must have been built in this period.

 Hairi Fechmi Yilmaz in his related study writes that the Church in its first reconstruction was architecturally simple and austere, while the Churches after the Tanzimat are built very differently and adorned.

 Ozyegin University professor Alssandro Camiz and his team note that "the masonry differs in its construction material since a different mortar was used." While for masonry foundations, he claims that they have a special technique that gives it excessive durability. He also mentions the ceiling and says that "after the walls are strengthened, the ceiling must be rebuilt after studying ceilings of the same period".

Before the fire in the early 1830s, the Church was wooden, while the iconostasis, iconostasis, and pulpit throne were all wooden. Everything was destroyed in the fire except for the masonry, which was "gyavgiri" i.e. stone. The bell tower is from the Tanzimat period, i.e. 1833. As is the narthex. During this period, it was rebuilt with the financial assistance of the community of Salmatovrouki; and it lasted until 1974 when it was again destroyed by fire. The relative findings of the Church and not of the foundations go back to this time.

 According to the architect Savvas Chileni, the Church was "a simple four-sided stone-built basilica with a gabled roof. And he continues "In the sketch of Millas, the wall of the western side is preserved, which protrudes from the two lateral sides in memory of what the wooden building that burned in 1784 was like. The vertical elements that can be seen in the photo are the positions of the wooden columns that supported the roof trusses and when they burned, it was left with the gaps in the walls smoked...."

The original church is rectangular and had a round arch projecting towards the eastern side, which was the sacred Vima. It had one window, while later the church was expanded into three aisles with three niches that had one window.

 The art historian Mr. Yilmaz in his study notes that there were four windows to the north and three to the south which were arched. Mr. Yilmaz continues and emphasizes that instead of a fourth window to the south there was a door, just as there was a door to the east. While there is a small door, there is also one to the sacred Vima.

 Elsewhere he notes "The wooden narthex on both sides and the western wall of the southern entrance are also of stone and are integrated with the western facade of the church." And he continues "The western facade of the church ends in a triangular pediment due to its gabled roof. In the center of the roof ridge is a cross of sorts.

On the facade there are two rows of windows with stone surrounds. The window in the center above has a balustrade, which at the junctions of the horizontal and vertical bars has cut-off corners. In the two other windows, there are balustrades that have rhomboidal lamellas at their joints. The lower windows are almost square.'  The stone structure of the central church is made of mudstone and in between there are pieces of irregularly cut optical bricks. In the corners, the pieces of stone are larger in size. Among the masonry materials there is a small number of black stones, green volcanic stones and pieces of marble.

In the Ottoman era until the issuance of the decrees of the Reforms, in the places of worship of non-Muslims, the use of noble building materials, such as carved stones and marble, were not allowed. For this reason, stone construction, in general the masonry, gives the impression that it was built with stones collected on site.

While he maintains that the roof is covered externally with Turkish tiles and only the east and west walls were covered with Marseille type tiles. Finally, he emphasizes that various floor traces can be seen on the floor. Marble slabs are generally used.

It is therefore understandable that apart from the historical value, the church has a great architectural importance since it presents a church structure which bears elements of the Christian and Ottoman periods.

All of the above piqued the interest of the Vakoufios board of trustees, and after the lawsuits in favor of the Vakoufios and the registration of the property of Panagia Paramythia, related studies to repair the building began. Archaeological investigations and excavations were carried out, and the foundations were found. For now, however, they have stopped due to a lack of financial resources, and as a result, the promotion of the Church is delayed. Of course, the efforts do not stop and the hope of the reconstruction of this historical monument remains alive.