The people behind the monuments

During the 8th and 9th centuries, Thebes grew significantly. It became the seat of the Archbishop, and the military and administrative base for the theme of Hellas. A local aristocracy was created, and the whole of the economic boom was reflected in the great monuments, churches and lay buildings that were built.
According to its founding inscription, the church of Agios Grigorios Theologos was built by the imperial kandidatos, Basileios, during the reign of Basil I, founder of the Macedonian dynasty in the 6380th year from the creation of the world, in other words, the year 872. Recent research has shown that the original church had three aisles and many architectural similarities with Panagia of Skripos. Although only fragments remain of the sculptures at Agios Grigorios, they are an important example of Byzantine sculpture and belong to a period (9th century), from which there are relatively few examples.

The church of the Koimisi of the Theotokos—or Panagia of Skripos, as it is more widely known today, from the name of the neighbourhood of Orchomenos in which it is found—is one of the most important monuments of Mid-Byzantine architecture. It is a large domed building, of the so-called transitional type of architecture, which combines the triple-nave arched-roof basilica with a domed church in the form of a free cross.
It was the catholicon of a monastery, the history of which is given in five inscriptions. We are told that it was founded in 873/4 by the royal protospatharios, Leon, a military officer and most likely a member of the imperial court of Constantinople. In particular, it is written that, 'Neither envy, nor time will send to the depths of forgetfulness the works of Leon Protospatharios, who held Orchomenos as his own. And these are his works, which will cry out through the ages...’ We are also told that Leon, the royal protospatharios and his household, together with his wife and children, moved by passion and great faith, built the church of Panagia Theotokos, when the emperors, Basil, Constantine and Leo ruled in Constantinople.
It has been speculated that Leon built the church so that it would be a burial monument for him and his family, along the lines of the other sepulchral churches that were built during the same period by high-ranking officials in Constantinople.

Agios Nikolaos Sikeliotis was born in Sicily. He is connected to the church of the same name in Metochi in the Municipality of Kimi-Aliveri in central Euboea. This church is the catholicon of the monastery in which Agios Nikolaos came to live, when, in the 11th century, he left Sicily for the safety of Euboea, following Saracen raids. The catholicon of this monastery is located in a densely green area to the north of the village. The floor inside the monument is very interesting. It is marble inlay and has survived in very good condition. The original entrance is also well preserved and rises into an impressive, great brick arch, which is surrounded by a zigzag band. Of the ancillary buildings that there would have been in the monastery, only the ruins of a rectangular building have remained, in the SW corner of the enclosure, which the locals refer to as the 'oil press', as the upper section of a large, cylinder millstone has survived.

A Byzantine neighbourhood has been excavated under the courthouse in Thebes. It was inhabited from the 11th century and was abandoned after the middle of the 13th century. A church has survived on the north edge of the site, while to the south there are rectangular houses, arranged freely. Thebes was very prosperous at that time. Due to its strategic position, it was the base of the general of theme of Hellas, and was visited by officials from Constantinople. In 1040-1041 the Bulgarians defeated General Ioannis Alakaseas and, according to the historian, Ioannis Skylitsis, many Thebans were killed. In the excavations of one home, a lead seal was found, which is inscribed 'Spatharokandidatos and general, Alakaseas'.

On the south east cross vault in the crypt in the basement of the catholicon of the Monastery of Hosios Loukas, there is a depiction of the four fathers connected with the early history of the monastery: Hosios Loukas, the founder of the monastery, the abbots Athanasios, and Philotheos (the benefactor of the building complex) and Theodosios, who all led the monastery to prosperity. They are painted facing forward, inside medallions, surrounded by rosettes on a white background. Theodosios, whose lay name was Theodoros Leovachos, was a member of an influential Theban family, about which we have little information. This iconographic portrayal of these benefactors provides evidence of the timeline of the monastery's construction, and it also honours those who contributed to its prosperity.

There is a dedicatory inscription in the arcosolium formed in the centre of the south wall of the main church, which is especially important for the history of Agios Georgios in Akraifnio. In the eight lines of the inscription, it is written that the church, which honours the memory of 'Agios Georgios the Great Martyr', was built, 'Through the cooperation and great desire', of, 'the knight, Monsieur Antonis te Flama [sic]' in 1311. But, who was this particular ruler? The inscription itself gives us our first indication. He was god fearing, since he provided the money for the restoration of the church; he was a ruling cavalry officer, but also had a high position in society, as is shown by the use of the word, 'Monsieur'. Antoine de Flama was French from a Flemish family. He was the baron of Karditsa in Boeotia, appointed a commissioner by the duke of Athens, Guy II de la Roche, and his representative in the ruling of the Duchy of Athens. The same year that the church was built, on the 15th March 1311, he fought in a battle that took place in Almyros in Magnesia between the Catalans and the Frankish rulers of southern Greece, headed by the duke of Athens, Gautier de Brienne. De Flama, who is most likely buried in the arcosolium, saw to it that the already existing church was restored, to express his gratitude for his safety to the patron saint of soldiers, Agios Georgios, who is worshipped by the faithful of both Orthodox and Catholic religions. What is especially important is that a Latin benefactor undertook the expense of constructing a building which was based on the Byzantine prototype, a fact that reveals, in the most eloquent way, the integration which gradually took place among the populations of different faiths on the Greek lands that had come under the control of western leaders after 1204.

The act of donation is a timeless practice, with numerous examples in both Euboea and beyond. It was a demonstration of devotion or gratitude to a patron saint through the donation of money for the building, wall painting, or restoration of a church. The benefactors were often everyday people. However, sometimes they came from important families. From the dedication inscriptions, which are found in prominent positions inside the church, we learn their names and some information about them, as well as their social position. There are many monuments from the 13th and 14th centuries, mostly in central Euboea, where dedication inscriptions have survived that relate to individual and group donations. In particular, at Agios Nikolaos Ritzanoi, in Metamorphosi in Pyrgi and Agia Anna in Oxylithos we have examples of group donations.  Agios Dimitrios in Makrychori and Panagia in Spilies are instances of individual donations. The same is probably true for the church at Chania in Avlonari. In conclusion, there are more examples of group donations while the inscriptions relating to individual donations are, as a rule, less frequent. This habit continues to the present day, proving its abiding nature. People still make donations for the building or mural decoration of a church, or for a church to be repaired. They also dedicate their own personal possessions to their patron saint, which they place in front of the icon.

In the north chapel of the church of Agia Paraskevi, now dedicated to the Evangelismos of the Theotokos [the Annunciation], there is a tomb which, according to the inscription, belongs to Pietro Lippomano (or Lippamano), of Jewish descent and born in Chalkis. He came from a poor family, without significant fortune or social status. At some point, however, his luck changed as he uncovered a buried treasure in his field. He took it and went it Venice, where he sold it and used the money to help the State during the catastrophic War of Chioggia (1378-1381). After Venice proved victorious, and in recognition of their contribution, the Lippomano family was accepted into patrician society and he became a member of the Great Council that governed the city. However, Lippomano decided to return to his homeland of Chalkis, with the title of Consiliarius Negroponte, where he died on the night of Thursday, 7th September 1397. He is buried in the northeast chapel of the modern Agia Paraskevi. The whole of this specific burial chapel was designed and decorated by the Lippomano family to honour the head of the family, who now held an important position in Chalkidan society.