This church, built in the second half of the 14th century after the manner of an Athonite katholikon, with conches in its north and south sides, was the focal point of the most famous of the monasteries of Thessalonike, Akapniou Monastery, founded by Saint Photios of Thessaly in the early 11th century.
Nothing remains of the original building following total renovation in the 14th century. The wealth of diverse surfaces that descend in waves from the dome down to the lowest levels establishes the monument as a typical example of the aesthetic canons and tendencies that dominated Palaeologan art.
The wall-paintings inside the narthex, some of the few surviving works dating to the second half of the 14th century, have a special place in any study of Byzantine painting. The pleasing colours and emphatic decorative intent, which succeeds in conveying a sense of well-being and exuberance, introduce for the first time an expressive realism that accords with contemporary trends in western painting.
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