Kaisariani Monastery
Written by Monday, 14 June 2010 00:00
"The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are." Samuel Johnson
|
|
Kaisariani Monastery (North side of Mount Hymettus, East Central Greece.) The monastery of Kaisariani, formally known as the Holy Monastery of Kaisariani is an Eastern Orthodox monastery built on the north side of Mount Hymettus, in East Central Greece. (In Greek, the name is Καισαριανή.) A high wall surrounds the buildings, the catholicon (main church), the refectory, the bathhouse and the cells, so that, even today, they seem quite well protected. In its original design, there were two entrances, the main entrance on the eastern side and a larger one on the other side. The monastery was built on the ruins of a lay building. The drawing of Kaisariani Monastery, done in 1745 by a Russian pilgrim named Barski, depicts the following buildings: the catholicon on the eastern side of the wall around the abbey, the bathhouse on the south side and, bordering it, the monks' cells with the Benizelou tower and the refectory in the western wing. Beside the vegetable garden on the southwestern side of the monastery, you can see the monks' cemetery and a newer church. The catholicon and the bathhouse are the original 11th century buildings (photos 1-4) whereas the narthex and the bell tower (photo 5) as well as St. Anthony's chapel are additions dated after the Turkish occupation. The buildings are all disposed around a courtyard (photo 6). The catholicon was on the eastern side, the refectory and the kitchen, on the western side and the bathhouse, which was transformed into the monastery's olive oil extractor during the Turkish rule, and, finally, the monks' cells in front of which there was an open arcade. The catholicon is dedicated to the Presentation of the Theotokos in the Temple and had the basic cross shape, faithful to Greek tradition, according to M. Sotiriou, or the semicircular quadripartite according to Anastassios Orlandos. The entrance of the temple was located on its western side without being separated by a narthex. There was another entrance on the northern side: with a marble doorstep and a Roman architrave. The narthex, which was surely built before 1602, is a vaulted ceiling with a cupola and lunette in the middle. Just twenty minutes away you will come across two churches of the early Christian era, the one dedicated to St. Marcus (built circa 6th Century AD; photos 7-9) with a very interesting architecture, especially of the ceiling and a later one dedicated to Aghioi Taxiarhes, built circa 10th Century AD (photo 10). The road that leads to them passes through nice landscapes with an excellent view of Athens far below. Photos
by Marina
Parha and George
J. Reclos Shooting data: 1. Camera: Nikon D3x 2.Camera: Nikon D3x 3. Camera: Nikon D3x 4. Camera: Nikon D3x 5. Camera: Nikon D3x 6. Camera: Nikon D700 7. Camera: Nikon D3x 8. Camera: Nikon D3x 9. Camera: Nikon D3x 10. Camera: Nikon D700
Information from Wikipedia. |
These photographs are the property of MCH Portal and cannot be reproduced without the written permission of the This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|