Othon de la Roche
Othon
de la Roche (? - 1234) was a landed nobleman from the Burgundy region of
France. He participated in the Fourth Crusade, in particular, the sack
of Constantinople in 1204. For his participation he was appointed grand
seignior of Athens. He established the Acropolis has his fortified
headquarters. He controlled the mainland of Greece as well as
Thessalonica.
During his stay in Athens, he converted the Parthenon from a Greek Byzantine church to a Roman Catholic church. In the 6th century, the Parthenon, once dedicated to the the Greek god Athena, had been converted to a Christian church. Parthenos meant virgin. The Parthenos Athena was easily renamed the Parthenos Maria. Othon renamed the Notre Dame (Church of our Lady). Today, it is a historical site.
Whether Othon brought the Mandylion (the Shroud of Constantinople/Edessa) from Constantinople in 1204 or whether he took possession of it after it had been brought to Athens is unclear. At some time between 1207 and 1219 he transferred the cloth to his home city of Besançon.