Holy Church of Saint John the Forerunner (Kynegos) in Perdikovrysi, Amfikleia
The small church of Saint John the Forerunner—known locally as Kynegos—stands in a wooded area near Amfikleia, close to the spring of Perdikovrysi. It is a modest structure with a buttress reinforcing its northeast corner and a pitched roof, recently reconstructed in reinforced concrete. According to local tradition, the church was originally built in 1455. In its present form, however, it dates to the 18th century, as indicated by an inscription on the templon. Today it belongs to the Monastery of the Nativity of the Theotokos at Dadi (Panagia Gavriotissa) as a metochion, meaning that it is owned by the monastery but lies outside its immediate grounds.
The interior is a single-aisled nave, entirely covered with 18th-century frescoes. The ceiling forms a low dome without a cylindrical drum. At its center is the medallion of Christ Pantokrator, symbolizing the heavens. The Pantokrator is surrounded by two concentric bands: the inner band depicts a procession of angels in imperial garments, led by the Theotokos; the outer band contains the Prophets, each holding a scroll and turning toward the Pantokrator.
On the eastern side of the dome, above the templon, the sequence of Prophets is interrupted by a striking and unusual representation of the Crucifixion. Instead of the familiar narrative scene, the painter depicts an elaborate Holy Cross, resembling a work of woodcarving or metalwork. At its center appears the crucified Christ, while at the four terminals are the symbols of the Evangelists: the eagle (John) above, the angel (Matthew) to the viewer’s right, the lion (Mark) to the left, and the ox (Luke) below. The Cross is flanked by the “lypira”—the sorrowful figures of the Theotokos and the Evangelist John—each framed within ornate borders that imitate carved wood. The base of the Cross is nailed onto a dragon, symbolizing the complete triumph over death and sin through the Crucifixion and the Resurrection.
The nave is separated from the sanctuary by a painted masonry templon, which contains two doors: the central Holy Door and a smaller one to the left, leading to the Prothesis. On either side of the Holy Door appear enthroned figures of Christ and the Theotokos holding the Child. Above the Holy Door is the Holy Mandylion, the acheiropoieton icon miraculously bearing the imprint of Christ’s face. To the right of Christ stands the Forerunner, depicted with archangelic wings—a motif emphasizing his role as herald of the Messiah. Above these scenes is a row of nine medallions containing busts of martyrs.
On the templon wall, beneath the image of the Theotokos, an inscription records the date 21 June 1756, marking the completion of the church’s construction and its fresco decoration in the form preserved today.
ΑΝΗΓΕΡΘΗ ΕΚ ΒΑΘΡΩΝ ΚΕ ΑΝΙΣΤΟΡΗΘΗ Ο ΠΑΝΣΕΠΤΟΣ ΚΑΙ ΘΕΙΟΣ ΟΥΤΟΣ ΝΑΟΣ ΤΟΥ ΤΙΜΙΟΥ ΠΡΟΔΡΟΜΟΥ ΔΙΑ ΣΥΝΔΡΟΜΗΣ ΚΑΙ ΕΞΟΔΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΠΑΝΟΣΙΟΤΑΤΟΥ ΑΓΙΟΥ ΗΓΟΥΜΕΝΟΥ ΓΙΝΑΔΙΟΥ [Γενναδίου] ΑΡΧΙΕΡΑΤΕΥΟΝΤΟΣ ΤΟΥ ΘΕΟΦΙΛΕΣΤΑΤΟΥ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΚΥΡΙΟΥ ΘΕΟΚΛΗΤΟΥ αψνς΄ [1756] ΙΟΥΝΙΟΥ κα΄ [21].
The sanctuary was also fully painted, though the frescoes survive only in fragments on the apse and the south wall. In the apse conch appears the Theotokos Platytera, while the walls depict the concelebrating saint bishops. The small recess to the left of the Holy Table is the Prothesis, where the preparation of the Eucharistic Gifts takes place.
Several decades ago, Archimandrite Theophilos Simopoulos identified a painted scroll listing the names of sixteen monks, confirming that the chapel belonged to a male monastery during the Ottoman period. That monastery is believed to have been dissolved by the decree of King Otto in 1833, which ordered the closure of very small monastic houses—those with fewer than six monks or nuns—and the transfer of their property to the state.
