The Holy Church of the Nativity of Christ in Poulithra of Kynouria is a stone-built church which in the past was a basilica without a dome. ΑIt is an interesting architectural experiment by Costis Garzos, who in the early 1960s was asked to carry out the renovation of the church. The interventions were made by donations from expatriates when an ambitious priest mobilized them to add a dome. A radical renovation of the building was undertaken because the chancel as well as the interior paintings are newer than the original construction. The first iconostasis of the church was carved in wood and does not survive.
Gartzos did not make any changes to the masonry but concentrated on remodelling the roof of the building.
The solution he chose was to leave the load-bearing structure uncoated, to add domed roofs and a dome of uncoated concrete and to fill the gaps between them with glass and clay pipes, creating an Orthodox Greek church that incorporated elements of the Brutalist movement.
The architect himself writes in an article in Architectural Issues in 1968:
"From an expressive point of view, the main aim was the morphological formulation of the static function, which was achieved by distinguishing the elements and exclusively filling the static gaps with transparent media. The materials used were bare concrete painted in its colour, drum filling walls made of clay pipes in their colour and glass. The whole structure of the cover is separated from the old base by a deep notch, painted blue'.
Also, in archisearch's article "Pretexts in sin – Modern Greek Orthodox Churches-Thoughts and Findings" the authors state:
"...the main element of the solution is the independence of the support of the dome from that of the domes that house the antennas, since the dome is supported by an autonomous square frame that rises well above the rest of the church. The materials of the temple are bare concrete, painted in its own colour, clay pipes in the openings, and glass, and the portion of the walls which existed is separated from the new building by a deep cut-out painted blue."
It is unknown how long the temple retained the form given to it by Kostis Gartzos. Today, however, the masonry has been plastered and painted and the roof has been tiled.
Information and photos
Architectural issues 2 / 1968
"PROPHECIES IN AMARTIAIS - Contemporary Greek Orthodox Church - Thoughts and findings - Part B" by Tsangalas Evangelos & Barba Konstantinos
