Dormition of the Virgin, Eastern Orthodox church building in Asklipio, Greece.
Dormition of the Virgin is a cross-in-square church in Asklipio, built in the second half of the 14th century and enlarged with two rectangular annexes in the mid-19th century. It measures 15.33 m long and 14.20 m across the transept, with a 4 m dome on an octagonal drum lit by four arched windows. The floor is covered with rounded pebbles.
The present church was built in the second half of the 14th century, probably on the site of an earlier church, though Angeliki Katsioti dates it to the 15th or 16th century. It was enlarged with two rectangular annexes in the mid-19th century, as the date 1856 near the northwest entrance indicates. A tufa plaque above the west door was recently engraved with the date 1060, and a stone outside the west facade bears 1222, likely reflecting older construction traditions.
The west arm's back wall shows the Parousia: a Christ in glory on a throne, the twelve apostles judging the twelve tribes of Israel, and below, the weighing of souls with a balance, the resurrection of the dead and a monster swallowing sinners. The Genesis scenes run from the Creation to God cursing Cain.
The church is located in the small village of Asklipio and can be reached on foot through village paths. Visitors should dress respectfully and observe quiet behavior inside, as it is an active place of worship.
The west arm's door is topped by a tufa block carved with the arms of the Knights of Saint John, later inscribed with the date 1060; another dressed stone outside the west facade reads 1222. These figures are thought to record older churches that stood on the site before the present building.
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