The Katholikon - Distomo, Greece
N 38° 23.728 E 022° 44.802
34S E 652533 N 4251139
The Katholikon, a large cathedral at the Hosios Loukas monastery, has a beautiful dome.
Waymark Code: WMB178
Location: Greece
Date Posted: 03/22/2011
Views: 14
This spectacular dome is located at the cathedral at Hosios Loukas, a beautiful, historic, walled monastery located near the town of Distomo, in Boeotia, Greece. As you walk inside, your eyes are immediately drawn upward. An exquisite form of eye candy!
The Katholikon is tentatively dated to 1011-12 and adjoins the Church of the Theotokos, the only church known to have been built in mainland Greece in the 10th century.
According to Wikipedia: "The Katholikon is the earliest extant domed-octagon church, with eight piers arranged around the perimeter of the naos (nave). The hemispherical dome (without a drum) rests upon four squinches which make a transition from the octagonal base under the dome to the square defined by the walls below. The main cube of the church is surrounded by galleries and chapels on all four sides."