Guide of Eastern Macedonia & Thrace

The church of Panaghia Kosmosoteira in Ferres was built by Isaac Comnenus, son of Alexius I Comnenus, brother of Ioannis II Comnenus and father of Andronicus I Comnenus, in the mid 12th century. Isaac drew the typicon of the monastery, in which he was buried. In the late Byzantine period, a settlement known as Vera developed around the originally constructed Katholikon that was enclosed by a strong fortification.

It is a domed basilica and reflects the Constantinopolitan architecture and decorative art of the 12th century. The church, though of a medium size, looks very imposing due to its impressive height and its large dome. The escalation of the curvilinear shapes and the wise proportions of its size indicate that the Constantinopolitan architect probably bore in mind the architecture of Aghia Sofia. In the exterior wall of the church, a clay eagle, the symbol of the imperial family of the founders, is embedded in the Sanctuary niche. The four buttresses on the exterior were added at a later period, while the central apse and the prothesis underwent later repairs, too. In the interior, the marble floor, the columns, the impressive iconostasis, and the gold revetments lends luxury and grandeur to the church.

The wall paintings in the interior of the church were also created by painters from Constantinople. Four military figures–Saints, probably the portraits of the family of Alexius I Comnenus, are depicted in between the arched windows of the north and the south aisles. In particular, the reputed Saint Theodore the Tiron resembles astoundingly Alexius I Comnenus. Saint Theodore the Stratelates, found on the south wall, opposite to the Saint Theodore the Tiron, is Ioannis II Comnenus, the first-born son. Next to him lies “Saint Mercury” who resembles Isaac, the second-born son of Alexius and founder of the church of Kosmosoteira, since his image is already depicted in a mosaic portrait found in the monastery of Chora, in Constantinople. Both figures wear the same royal crown, the so-called stemmatogyrion.
Finally, on the north wall, next to Alexius and opposite to Isaac, the young beardless soldier is believed to be Andronicus, the third son of Alexius.

Two hundred years after its foundation, the Katholikon was converted into the mosque of Süleyman and five and a half centuries later, was converted again into a Christian church. The Katholikon of the monastery is currently in operation.

Restoration works were carried out concerning the reconstruction of the north, east and south façades of the Katholikon. The tympanum of the dome was tied with a metal hoop, the south pair of columns was propped with steel sheets and all the columns were tightened with steel hoops. Repairs were also carried out on the lead ceiling and measurements of small movements of the monument were conducted with the use of the invar system. Finally, the fortified enceinte was also restored.