La Parigoritissa di Arta, un incrocio di tradizioni artistiche nel Despotato d'Epiro

The Paregoritissa of Arta is one of the most wellknown buildings of the Late Byzantine period, and it is a key case-study for the patronage activity of the Komnenos-Doukas in the capital of the Despotate of Epiros. Its current design is the result of the initiative of the despot Nikephoros I (1267/1268 – 1296/1298) who radically transformed the previous building constructed by his father, Michael II (1230 ca – 1267/1268). The ‘new’ Parigoritissa of Nikephoros was an ambitious building through which the despot aimed to claim and take over the inheritance of his father, as he already did with the Pantanassa of Philippiada. The remaking of the Parigoritissa was also the symbol of the power of a relatively young dynasty looking for establishing itself on the political scene. The Despotate of Epiros, due to its geographical position, had alliances and disagreements with both the Byzantine emperors of Constantinople, and the Anjoux of Southern Italy. This article re-evaluates the current state of scholarship on the Parigoritissa and argues for a new interpretation of the patronage activity of Nikephoros on the basis of the political and diplomatic historical conjuncture of the last years of the despot Nikephoros. His political activity in these crucial years may help to explain some unusual architectural features of the building: the canopy in the galleries, the mosaics, and the ‘Western’ sculptures of the naos.