chiesa di Santa Maria dell'Odigitria

This church presents an octagonal single-nave plan, its longitudinal thrust directed firmly towards the transept and the apsed presbytery. Two freestanding pillars create small, domed spaces between the nave and transept, articulating the sacred area with a sense of measured geometry. The whole interior is crowned by a false attic storey, punctuated with windows; this, together with the drum, admits light to the space. A wooden choir loft, set over the vestibule, overlooks the nave at the level of this false attic. The dome, with its ogival, ribbed profile and crowning lantern, rises from an octagonal drum. The bell chamber surmounts the façade as a prismatic volume on a rectangular base. To the south-east, the rooms of the sacristy are annexed to the main body. The effect is of a controlled, layered space, where light and structure perform a quiet, deliberate dialogue.

Description via source. Coordinates and heritage data from the Atika atlas.