Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos

In the Laconian village of Agios Ioannis, near the ancient site of Alesiai that Pausanias placed southwest of Sparta, this Byzantine church is dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos. Its cross-inscribed plan shelters wall paintings in a popular style, dated to the eighteenth century and partially restored. Excavations carried out between 1988 and 2011 also brought to light traces of far older habitation, from Neolithic and Roman times, along with churches, frescoes and inscriptions, layers of centuries resting quietly around a protected building that still holds its ground.