Santa Fosca in Torcello and the Middle Byzantine Churches in Eastern Greece: Preliminary Comparison and Remarks on Common Features and Differences

Abstract

The main aim of this work is to critically examine Santa Fosca building period through the analysis of the similarities as well as the differences with some churches located in Greece and belonging to the so-called octagonal domed type. In fact, since the second half of the Nineteenth century a historiographical tradition has compared Santa Fosca with these Greek Middle-Byzantine churches, where eight supports, piers or columns, arranged in a regular or irregular octagon, receive the loads from the cupola. The comparison is based on the direct analysis of these buildings: the structural configuration, the constructive materials and techniques as well as the affinities in decoration, occurring both inside and outside, are under investigation. This contribution offers a new perspective, from which it could be possible to study the period of erection of the Venetian church, a topic that is still object of debate among the scientific community.