The Church of St. John the Theologian
The church of St. John the Theologian in the uphill neighbourhood of "Kakuna" of Makrinitsa, according to an indistinguishable stone-built inscription embedded on its eastern side, was rebuilt in 180(4?). After the destruction following the 1955 earthquake it was renovated in the 1960s as well as recently.
The single-spaced wooden-roofed dromic Church impresses with its dimensions (16,50 x 11,5 m), its harmonic proportions, its quality construction, and the spaciousness of its interior. At a later stage, the Church was expanded by the addition of an attic (gynekonite) along the western and part of the southern side. The attic's extension rests on a stone-built arched open gallery (hagiati) on the westearn and partly on the southern side, an element which constitutes a typological innovation in the Pelion church building of the time. On the contrary, the single two-pitched roof, the remainder wooden gallery (hagiati) of the southern side, the simple stonework construction of the masonry, with the exception of the elaborate construction of the sanctuary's arch, echo influences by folk architecture.
The basic stone relief decoration of the monument is offset by the rescued frescoes and the icons which adorn the neoclassical style temple of the Church. The fragmented exterior wall-painting of the apocalyptic Vision of St. John the Theologian is dated 1813, while in the interior the full-length figure of Saint Gregory the Theologian constitutes signed work of monk Sofronios of the year 1876. The despotic icons of the temple (1832-1833) were created by monk Athanasios from the company of the Mount Athos painters originating from Galatista in Chalkidiki. Immediately after, the icons of the Dodekaorton (Twelve feasts) are recorded on the epistyle (1834-1836), unsigned in their entirety, while the works of painter Pantazis, which were found in the Church and date back to the middle of the 19th century (1847-1855), are noted for their expressive quality. In the murals and icons various stylistic trends are found, expressing the aesthetic preferences of ecclesiastical painting of the 19th century.
Ιερός Ναός Αγίου Ιωάννου Κακουνά - Holy Church of Saint Ioannis Kakounas
