360 Georgopoulou
of the sculptural decoration of Cretan churches has a flamboyant “Gothic” flair,
especially in the treatment of windows or the ornamental detailing of oculi, as
in the case of the sculptural ornamentation of the monastery of St Phanourios
in Varsamonero (Figure 10.13), which can be understood as an attempt to cre-
ate a pole of attraction for pilgrims.98
Forts and Towers
Other than the capital cities of each principality, the commonest settlement
in medieval Greece was a fortified settlement with separate citadel and lower
town. Above all, the landscape of medieval Greece is dominated by forts
and towers that echo the rugged countryside. Rectangular towers reinforced
the enceinte of a village or town at intervals, particularly at crucial points,
such as corners and gateways.99 Simple rectangular towers are typical of the
Peloponnese region’s Byzantine fortifications (the wall of Hexamilion at the
98 Georgopoulou, “Vernacular Architecture,” pp. 1–34.
99 Athanasoulis, “The Triangle of Power,” p. 117.
figure 10.13 Varsamonero (Crete), monastery of St Phanourios.
PHOTO: DIMITRIS TSOUGARAKIS