Galleries and Upper Spaces in Byzantine Churches: Their Role in the Evolution of Byzantine Religious Architecture

The study investigates the role of galleries in Byzantine churches as indicative for the source of the architecture and their sponsorship. Written evidence documents the insistent of the imperial court for the construction and use of church galleries, despite the clergy’s objection culminating at the beginning of the fourteenth century. Mistra is examined for the study of galleries in three churches whose construction has been attributed to the transfer of the court ceremonial of the capital. Closer examination shows that galleries in Mistra are associated with the period when members of the Palaiologos family inhabited the city in the second half of the fourteenth century. The Palaiologoi had every reason to desire the transfer of the capital’s customs and at the same time used sponsorship of ecclesiastical institutions to project dynastic identity and spent for this purpose, even when resources were limited. This is strengthened by the comparison with the sponsoring activity of the Kantakouzenoi who preceded, and which are local in flavor. The Kantakouzenoi used local materials and means for their buildings. The Palaiologoi transferred architectural models from the capital in Mistra and to other areas where they were active.