Church of Agia Thekla

At the settlement of Agia Thekla, at central Euboea, near the country road that leads to Kymi, surrounded by olive trees and cypress trees, is situated the church of Agia Thekla, one of the most important Late Byzantine monuments of the area.

It belongs to the characteristic for Euboea transverse-vault church and dates from the beginning of the end of the 13th or the beginning of the 14th century. However, some of its architectural elements indicate that probably it was initially constructed in the end of the first millennium with a difference form, and was converted into a transverse-vault church at a period when all over central Euboea those type of churches were built or older ones were converted into.  Its main characteristic is the existence of a large semi-circular arch at the altar area, with the large opening in its interior, which extends throughout the width of the altar area, and the transverse barrel-vault over the main church.

Its interior is richly decorated with important wall paintings, which according to most of the researchers can be divided into three stages. The earliest of them dates from the second half of the 14th century and is an expression of the more “official” style of the Palaeologan era. The arch of the altar area depicts the Pantocrator, while in front of the screen, on the southern and northern wall dominate the two supernatural figures of Agios Nikolaos and Agios Vasileios. At the semi-cylindrical part of the transverse barrel-vault the Second Coming is depicted, a subject matter that is related to the cemetery – burial character that the church must have had at an earlier period. Characteristic is the Altar where they used a marble plate from an ancient building for its construction.

The church celebrates on the 24th of September. In the older times, the celebration of Agia Thekla was related to the famous bazaar, which has been established in the first years of the Turkish Occupation, and in 1870 was transferred to Avlonari.