Byzantine Monuments and Architectural “Cleansing” in Nineteenth-Century Athens

Abstract

This paper examines the architectural “cleansing” of Athens in the decades following the establishment of the Modern Greek state, when the ancient monuments of the city, and especially the Acropolis and its surroundings, became a source of inspiration and legitimation for the newly established state. The goal was to enhance the ancient monuments by freeing them from post-classical additions and alterations. In this process most of the post-classical history of the ancient structures was lost; within a few decades they were transformed from living monuments into museum pieces. The same principle guided the planning of the new capital. The classical emphasis led to a disregard for the Byzantine and Post-Byzantine architectural heritage and, in turn, to the destruction of a large number of churches in the course of the 19th century. This history can only be recovered through the study of early maps and plans, visitors’ accounts, textual sources, and the material remains recovered by excavations. The demolition of Athenian churches is a testimony to the ideas and aspirations of the time: the desire to purify the ancient monuments from later additions, and re-build Athens as the new capital of a re-born state which strove to embody classical ideals.