Confrontarsi con l’antico: su alcuni edifici ecclesiali a blocchi di pietra squadrata in Grecia Centrale (XII secolo)

The aim of this study is to consider some middle Byzantine churches built in the 12th century-central Greece using large blocksof marble or limestone. Their builders wanted to pursue qualitative and formal levels that could distinguish them from othercontemporary buildings in terms of prestige. Usually, limited financial resources required extensive re-use of Greek, Roman orearly Byzantine materials (blocks, columns, capitals). The workers who reused them knew that they could be a mark ofdistinction. However, this does not imply a nostalgic look back to the ancient or late antique past. Ancient materials are mostlyseen as models with which to compete as a mean of refining the techniques of carving and sculpture. This kind of ‘competition’achieved remarkable results. So much so that some buildings are constructed with new ashlars or expressly cut blocks, or evenwith completely reworked ancient blocks. The use of these blocks in more or less accurate rows and with very little use ofmortar represents a new aesthetic in middle Byzantine architecture. The monastic church of Hagios Nikolaos at Kambia(Dionysos, Leivadia), which will be discussed in detail, is a case in point.