From 1262, when the Byzantines became the rulers of Mystras, a brilliant period began for this medieval fortress-state. The hill filled with houses, mansions, and palaces, churches and fortified monasteries were built, and the densely-populated city was provided two enclosure walls.
Many churches are scattered over the steep mountainside.
Floor detail
This church was built into the mountainside and included a cave.
When excavations were resumed in 1952, the last thirty or so families
who still lived in the lower town were moved out to Néos Mystrás. Only
the nuns of the Pandánassa (“Queen of the World”) convent have remained. The convent’s church, built in 1428, is
perhaps the finest surviving in Mystra, perfectly proportioned in its
blend of Byzantine and Gothic. The frescoes date from
various centuries, with some superb fifteenth-century work, including
one in the gallery that depicts scenes from the life of Christ. Other
frescoes were painted between 1687 and 1715, when Mystra was held by the
Venetians.
The nuns seem to have a soft spot for the many feral cats.
Silver charms shaped like different body parts, or the entire body, are left to thank God for healing or to ask God for help.
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