Orchomenos also maintained its splendor during the Byzantine period. The Shrine of the Assumption of Virgin Mary or Virgin Mary of Skripou, as stated on the preserved dedicatory inscriptions, embedded in the monument’s walls, was built in 873/4 AD. by the royal Protospatharios (leader of the imperial bodyguard) Leondas, who although not identified from other sources, was a senior officer and member of the imperial court of Constantinople, and possibly served as a General regarding Greek matters, based in Thebes. The monument is considered to be one of the most important in Boeotia, and one of the most popular and widely discussed buildings of middle- Byzantine architecture in general. Its characteristic feature is the use of ancient architectural parts in its masonry, which have been placed with a particular emphasis on their decorative use.