Monasteries of Daphni, Hosios Loukas and Nea Moni of Chios

The Monasteries of Daphni, Hosios Loukas and Nea Moni of Chios are masterpieces of the 'second golden age of Byzantine art'. The three monasteries, dating from the 11th and 12th century, are geographically distant from each other, the monastery of Daphni is located in Attica, near Athens, the Hosios Loukas (St. Luke) is located in Phocida near Delphi, and the Nea Moni of Chios is on the Aegean island of Chios. All three of these sites are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

See the Main Articles:

Monastery of Nea Moni (Chios)

Monastery of Hosios Loukas

Monastery of Daphni

World Heritage Classification, UNESCO

• Date of Inscription - 1990
• Reference No. 537
• Criteria: (i) and (iv)

Geographically distant from each other, these three monasteries (the first is in Attica, near Athens, the second in Phocida near Delphi, and the third on an island in the Aegean Sea, near Asia Minor) belong to the same typological series and share the same aesthetic characteristics. The churches are built on a cross-in-square plan with a large dome supported by squinches defining an octagonal space. In the 11th and 12th centuries they were decorated with superb marble works as well as mosaics on a gold background, all characteristic of the 'second golden age of Byzantine art'.

• Documentations
  • 1990, "Advisory Body Evaluation"
  • 1990, Decision "Report of the 14th Session of the Committee"
  • 2006, Periodic Reporting "(Cycle 1) Section II Summary"
  • 2007, Decision (31COM 8B.6)"