Porfyra - Hagiography workshop and sale of traditional works of art

In the shadow of Byzantine Mystras, in the square of today's settlement, is the shop "Porfyra". "Porfyra" is a shop and artistic workshop created with great passion and enthusiasm in 2001. A hagiography workshop and exhibition space, which for more than 20 years has been bringing local visitors into contact with the long history of hagiography.

Maria Tsibokas, the owner-artist, has been painting since she was young. She studied alongside painters and at the KEK of Tripoli, majoring in Hagiography. She experimented with many materials and the application of various expressive media around new and old techniques, which led her to personal visual creations in which she adopted traditional and more innovative approaches and practices. Since then, she has created several portable icons and wall paintings, and her works can be found in many parts of the world, in private collections and temples.

Orthodox iconography has a long tradition, its own rules and symbolisms. It has a double dimension: as an artistic work and as a spiritual performance of the Divine. The handmade icons available at "Porfyra" are each a separate, unique piece of work made with care and diligence.

In a tasteful and appropriately designed space with an organised structure, in a warm and pleasant environment, you have the opportunity to come into contact with a series of traditional art objects. The store has been enriched with various artistic creations of the hagiographer and other collaborators and friends, but also with objects related to local history and mythology. Also, souvenirs, gifts and decoration items, jewellery, church items, mountaineering maps and books have also found their place on the store's shelves and Mary's heart until they become yours.

Modern possibilities, as well as needs, gave the impetus for the creation of the "Porfyra" online store. On its e-shop, you can find handmade Byzantine icons, various church items, artistic creations, jewellery and decorative items, always elegant and carefully selected, just as you would find them in their physical store if you visited them.

"Porfyra" store in Mystras. The coexistence of these two arts, the iconography on the one hand and the collection of old souvenirs on the other, and the points where they meet form the basis for creative thinking, expression, exploration and experimentation either for the owner or for the visitors of her store.

"Porfyra" in Mystras. Maria's "colourful" shop awaits you...