Holy Church of Saint Kyriaki

The village of Aulotopos, built at an altitude of 554 meters, lies between the northern foothills of the mountains of Paramythia and Souli. It belongs to the so-called Skapetochoria or Souliot villages of Thesprotia. Until 1928, it was known as Glavitsa, and its history is closely linked to the heroic struggles of the Souliotes against Ali Pasha.

The Church of Saint Kyriake serves as the cemetery church of the village. It was built in the late 16th or early 17th century, but has undergone various construction interventions. Originally, the katholikon was a rectangular, cross-vaulted structure with a pitched roof covered in slate slabs. In later phases, two arches were added, along with a narthex with a women’s gallery, a three-storey bell tower, and a portico (hagiati).

The church was fully decorated with wall paintings in its central area and sanctuary. A large part of the original 17th-century painted decoration was repainted in at least two phases. Particularly notable is the intervention of the painter Pavlos Giannoulis in 1915, who overpainted the earlier wall paintings, leaving an inscription stating that the decoration had been “renewed.”

The deterioration of the painted decoration was extensive, due to the heterogeneity and aging of the materials, later interventions, and the impact of environmental factors. Responding to the request of the residents of the historic village, AEGEAS AMKE undertook the preparation of the conservation study for the church’s painted decoration, as well as the necessary implementation works, in order to preserve and highlight this ensemble of exceptional artistic value.

DONATION OF THE NON-PROFIT CIVIL COMPANY AEGEAS

• Preparation of the conservation study.
• Restoration works of the painted decoration.