THE CHURCH OF SAINT JOHN AT KERIA, MESA (INNER) MANI. THE TESTIMONY OF THE LATE BYZANTINE WALL PAINTINGS

The cross-in-square church of Saint John at Keria in Mesa Mani preserves parts of its original painted decoration, unpublished so far. Iconographic and stylistic observations place the wall paintings in the second half of the 13th century, probably in the decade 1270-1280. Although fragmentarily preserved and extensively faded, the frescoes are attributed to a skilled painter, who surpasses the linear rendering and the stylized modeling characterizing the majority of the wall paintings of the time in Mani, following the novel trends of metropolitan art.

Automated summary

The wall paintings in the cross-in-square church of Saint John at Keria in Mesa Mani are believed to be from the second half of the 13th century, possibly created in the decade 1270-1280. Despite being fragmentarily preserved and extensively faded, the frescoes are attributed to a skilled painter who exceeds the typical style of wall paintings in Mani at the time.