13th-century Byzantine domes

In the Despotate of Epirus, the church of St. Nicholas in Mesopotam (first third of the 13th century) was built with two identical naoi and two apses, like the earlier church of Üçayak. Although it has been called "the finest expression of the regional Epirote architectural paradigm", it has been remodeled over the centuries and is covered by four domes, two over each naos.^[2] The two spaces may have been to allow relic visitation by pilgrims to be kept separate from normal liturgical functions.^[3]

In the Despotate of Epirus, the Church of the Parigoritissa (1282–9) is the most complex example, with a domed octagon core and domed ambulatory.^[4] Columns beneath the dome rest on cantilevered supports and large wooden tie-beams have remained in place to ensure stability. Its eccentric design results in a very high dome with a steep viewing angle, which may explain the unusually large Pantokrator image on the dome.^[5] Built in the capital of Arta, its external appearance resembles a cubic palace. The upper level narthex and galleries have five domes, with the middle dome of the narthex an open lantern. This Greek-cross octagon design, similar to the earlier example at Daphni, is one of several among the various Byzantine principalities. Another is found in the Hagia Theodoroi at Mistra (1290–6).^[6]

Churches in Epirus with domed narthexes included St. Theodora in Arta [el] (second half of the 13th century), Panagia Vlacherna (narthex added after 1284), and Panagia Vellas (1295-1296).^[7] Another church with a domed narthex was the Church of the Virgin Peribleptos in Ohrid (1294-1295).^[8]

The church of Hagia Sophia in the Empire of Trebizond dates to between 1238 and 1263 and has a variation on the quincunx plan. Heavy with traditional detailing from Asia Minor, and possibly Armenian or Georgian influence, the brick pendentives and drum of the dome remain Byzantine.^[9]