Agias Anastasias (Church of St Anastasia) in the Marasia, outside the city walls of Rhodes. It was probably built during the reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid II (from an inscription on a water fountain on the church wall)
The church is dedicated to Anastasia of Sirmium. An inscription above the entrance reads -
Holy Temple of Saint Aia Agiaia
Pharmacist
"In 1522 Rhodes was conquered by the Ottomans, and was changed into a mere administrative center of the Ottoman Empire. Upon the departure of the Knights, a large number of European, Greek and Jewish residents flew to Crete and to the West. At the same time, Turkish population flowed from Asia.
The most determinant measure for the formulation of the new conditions of life and the city for the next four hundred years (1522 — 1912) would be the depopulation of the Greeks from the “Castle”, the fortified city, which was now inhabited by the Ottomans, and exceptionally by the Jews who remained in the Jewish district. The “Castle” was the center of financial activity. The Greeks would only enter in order to conduct transactions, and they were not allowed to stay within the walls for the night.
Eight new residential cores were created out of the “Castle”, to serve the needs of the Greek population: on the south-east, the “marasia” of the Metropolis, Saint Anastasia, Saint Nicholas, Agioi Anargyroi (Holy Unmercenaries), Saint John, Upper Saint George and Lower Saint George, and on the north-west, Neochorio.
Marasia were developed in a linear outline. Except for Niochori, two basic axes, vertical to one another, would intertwine the urban web of the neighborhood. The main axis would pass in front of the church, and currently bears the name of the marasi, Agiou Ioannou street, Agion Anargyron street, Agias Anastasias street, Mitropoleos street, Agiou Georgiou street, Agiou Nikolaou street. Public buildings involved churches and schools, which were built and began operating after mid-18th century, when the Ottomans gave a relevant permission.
The marasia had narrow alleys, without open spaces, houses built in the street front, protected by high yard walls, with strict volumes, and simple neo-classical elements on the pillar and the openings of the house. The public fountains were unique architectural elements of the commonly-used space. The largest part of the initial urban web of the marasia is preserved today.
In 1854, the “Castle” hosted 5,500 Ottomans and 1,000 Jews. 500 Ottomans stayed at the suburbs or in the inland of the island. 5,000 Greeks resided in the marasia, scattered in 47 villages. The Francs, around 120 individuals, resided in the suburb of Niochori. This area was inhabited by the consuls of the main nations in Europe.
CHURCHES OF MARASIA -
There are no data from written sources or from remains for the churches of the first years of the Ottoman period outside the walls. The only Byzantine churches that have been preserved until this day are Saint John Chostos, in the marasi of Lower Saint George, and Taxiarchis in Niochori.
The Marasia of Rhodes have homonymous churches: Agioi Anargyroi, Saint John, Saint Anastasia, Metropolis, Upper Saint George, Lower Saint George or “Burnt”, and Saint Nicholas. In the new Marasi or Niochori the “Presentation of Virgin Mary” was built. Initially, those churches were small and humble buildings. In the 18th century AD, with the permission of the Ottomans, new churches are built on the same sites. A special style is presented, which appears only in the Dodecanese and on the south-east coasts of Minor Asia. It is called “basilica of a Dodecanesean type”, and it mimics the Gothic cross-domes of the Knights.
The church of the Metropolis (Presentation), the seat of the Metropolitan, who was the ethnarch, the president of the City Council, juror and responsible for the education of the enslaved Greeks, was constructed in the period when Ieremias Patmios was the arch-priest (1750), as it is indicated by an inscription near the entrance. Data of the construction date also exist for the churches of Agioi Anargyroi (1738) and Saint Nicholas (1759). We know from the 1833 Code that the Metropolitan of Rhodes, Paisios Kampanis, constructed the church of Neochori.
The above churches were the cores of life and preservation of Hellenism and Orthodoxy for the 390 years of the Ottoman rule.
Today they still are the main parishes – districts of the city, along with three newer churches, which signal new districts, Saint Demetrius in Rodini, and the churches of the Assumption and Saints Apostles in the homonymous districts."
SOURCE - (visit link)
Agías Anastasías (Ekklisía tis Agías Anastasías) sti Marasía, éxo apó ta teíchi tis pólis tis Ródou. Katá pása pithanótita chtístike katá ti diárkeia tis vasileías tou Soultánou Ampntoúl Chamít Xan B' (apó mia epigrafí se mia vrýsi sto teíchos tis ekklisías)
I ekklisía eínai afieroméni stin Anastasía tou Sírmio. Mia epigrafí páno apó tin eísodo anaférei -
Ierós Naós Agías Aías Agiaías
Farmakopoiós
"To 1522 i Ródos katalífthike apó tous Othomanoús kai metavlíthike se apló dioikitikó kéntro tis othomanikís aftokratorías. Me tin anachórisi ton Ippotón megálos arithmós Evropaíon, Ellínon kai Evraíon katoíkon katéfygan stin Kríti kai ti Dýsi. Synchrónos, eiséree tourkikós plithysmós apó tin Asía .
To kathoristikótero métro gia ti diamórfosi ton néon synthikón tis zoís kai tis pólis gia ta epómena tetrakósia chrónia (1522 — 1912) ítan i apomákrynsi ton Ellínon apó to «Kástro», tin teichisméni póli, ópou katoíkisan pléon oi Othomanoí kai kat’ exaíresi oi Evraíoi pou parémeinan stin evraïkí synoikía. To «Kástro», ítan to kéntro tis oikonomikís drastiriótitas. Oi ‘Éllines émpainan móno gia agorapolisíes kai den epi-trepótan na diany¬kteréfsoun entós ton teichón.
Októ néoi oikistikoí pyrínes dimiourgíthikan éxo apó to «Kástro», gia tis anánkes tou ellinikoú plithysmoú: sta notioanatoliká, ta «marásia» tis Mitrópolis, tis Agías Anastasías, tou Agíou Nikoláou, ton Agíon Anargýron, tou Agíou Ioánni, tou Agíou Georgíou Páno kai tou Agíou Georgíou Káto kai sta voreiodytiká to Neochório.
Ta marásia, anaptýchthikan se grammikí diátaxi. Me exaíresi to Niochóri, dýo vasikoí áxones káthetoi metaxý tous éplekan ton poleodomikó istó tis geitoniás. O kýrios áxonas, pernoúse brostá apó tin ekklisía kai férei símera to ónoma tou marasioú, odos Agíou Ioánnou, Agíon Anargýron, Agías Anastasías, Mitropóleos, Agíou Georgíou, Agíou Nikoláou. Dimósia ktíria ítan oi ekklisíes kai ta scholeía, ta opoía ktístikan kai árchisan na leitourgoún metá ta mésa tou 18ou aióna, ótan oi Othomanoí édosan schetikí ádeia.
Ta marásia eíchan stená sokákia chorís anoichtoús chórous, spítia chtisména sto métopo tou drómou pou prostatévontan apó psiloús avlótoichous, me afstiroús ónkous kai litá neoklasikízonta stoicheía ston pylóna kai sta anoígmata tou spitioú. Monadiká architektoniká stoicheía tou koinóchristou chórou apoteloúsan oi dimósies krínes. Apó ton archikó poleodomikó istó ton marasión símera diatireítai to megalýtero posostó.
To 1854, to «Kástro» filoxenoúse 5.500 Othomanoús kai 1.000 Evraíous. 500 Othomanoí diémenan sta proástia í sto esoterikó tou nisioú. 5.000 Éllines katoikoúsan sta marásia kai diesparménoi se 47 choriá. Oi Fránkoi, 120 perípou átoma, diémenan sto proástio tou Niochoríou. Se aftí tin periochí diémenan kai oi próxenoi ton kyriotéron ethnón tis Evrópis.
EKKLISIES MARASION
Gia tis ekklisíes ton próton chrónon tis othomanikís periódou ektós ton teichón den ypárchoun stoicheía apó graptés pigés oúte apó leípsana. Oi mónes vyzantinés ekklisíes pou échoun diasotheí méchri símera, eínai o Ágios Ioánnis o Chostós, sto marási tou Agíou Georgíou tou káto kai o Taxiárchis sto Niochó¬ri.
Ta Marásia tis Ródou échoun omónymes ekklisíes : oi Ágioi Anárgyroi, o Ágios Ioánnis, i Agía Anastasía, i Mitrópoli, o Ágios Geórgios o Áno, o Ágios Geórgios o Káto í «Kaménos» kai o Ágios Nikólaos. Sto néo Marási í Niochóri ktístikan «Ta Eisódia tis Theotókou». Archiká oi ekklisíes aftés ítan mikrá kai tapeiná ktísmata. To 18o aióna m.CH., metá tin ádeia ton Othomanón ktízontai stis ídies théseis nées ekklisíes. Parousiázetai énas idiaíteros rythmós pou synantátai móno sta Dodekánisa kai sta notioanatoliká parália tis Mikrás Asías. Légetai «vasilikí Dodekanisiakoú týpou» kai mimeítai ta gotthiká stavrothólia ton Ippotón.
I ekklisía tis Mitrópolis (Eisódia), édra tou Mitropolíti, pou apoteloúse ton ethnárchi, próedro tis Dimogerontías, dikastí kai ypéfthyno gia tin paideía ton ypódoulon Ellínon, anoikodomíthike sto diástima tis archieratías Ieremía tou Pátmiou (1750), ópos faínetai apó mia epigrafí kontá stin eísodo. Stoicheía chronologías anégersis ypárchoun epísis gia tis ekklisíes Agíon Anargýron (1738) kai Agíou Nikoláou (1759). Apó ton Kódika tou 1833 gnorízoume óti o Mitropolítis Ródou Páïsios Kampánis anoikodómise tin ekklisía tou Neochoríou.
Oi parapáno ekklisíes apotélesan tou pyrínes zoís kai diatírisis tou Ellinismoú kai tis Orthodoxías gia ta 390 chrónia tis douleías ton Othomanón.
Símera synechízoun na apoteloún tis kýries enoríes – synoikíes tis pólis, mazí me treis neóteres ekklisíes pou simatodotoún nées synoikíes, ton Ágio Dimítrio sto Rodíni kai tis ekklisíes tis Analípseos kai ton Agíon Apostólon stis omónymes synoikíes."
PIGI - (sýndesmos epískepsis)