sofia – Σελίδα 5 – Proskinitaria Athos

Silent

We know that the Monastery was founded around the year 1000, and from the start was dedicated to the apostles Peter and Paul. However, despite the undeniable fact that it has existed for more than a thousand years as a beehive of spiritual life, exercise, active study, writing and creativity, with radiation and influence, details of its path through time are fewer than we would expect and wish, and several aspects of its history are obscured. The main reason for these gaps is the loss, at unknown times, of most of the Monastery's archives, with only a small amount of documents preserved. To the historian who has a love of narratives, the one-thousand-year-old Karakallos Monastery stands and will forever stand as humble and taciturn.

The bones of the dead fathers in the cemetery chapel.

The chandelier and the Pantokrator at the dome.

Προηγούμενο

Επόμενο

In The Forest

The Founding

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The entrance of the monastery and its tower.

In The Forest

In the southern region of the peninsula of Athos, in the forests that cover the hills of the eastern coast, stands the Karakallos Monastery, an unexpected and peaceful presence in a landscape that looks virgin. The pilgrim arrives from the town of Karyes either by car or by a walk of three hours on an excellent path. The elegant tower and the compact volume of the complex on a ridge, backed by retaining walls, create the first impression of a medieval castle. The visible structures are of course more recent, most of them dating from the 16th to the 18th centuries. Yet, how old is the Monastery?

Silent

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The Temple (Icon Screen)
And Other Carved
Wood Furnishings

The Temple (Icon Screen) And Other Carved Wood Furnishings

The present-day icon screen in the cathedral, made of walnut wood, gilded, and sculpted with a rich floral design, is an example of high-quality woodcarving of the 18th century. According to written statements, the icon screen it was transported to the Monastery in 1796 after its construction, and cost 2,827 grosia. In 1803, the next Abbot, Stefanos Vizuotis, sent to Konstantinople to buy pure gold for the gilding, which cost 2,000 grosia, a sum donated by the monk Chatzi Angelakis from the Dionysios Monastery.
The older icon screen, parts of which are kept behind the new one, had been constructed in 1553 with financing by the Abbot Alexandros Lepousneanos shortly after the construction of the cathedral. This fact only recently became known from an inscription that was discovered on a piece of silk fabric. Examples of the important art which had been on the old icon screen are provided by two painted sections which have also survived: St John the Theologian (during the suffering of Christ), and the Crucification.
The sculpted despotic throne is also made from walnut wood, and is dedicated to St John the Baptist. It includes sculptured portrayals of the birth and the decapitation of the Baptist, an angel with the scales of justice, and two vestment-clad deacons. On the back support, there is an icon of the Baptist dating to the 15th century.
Another important example of artistic skill and craftsmanship is the square-shaped shrine with columns that support five small domes, decorated with ivory and mother of pearl. It bears the characteristic inscription: ‘Accept this gift, Baptist, from the worthless Isaios. 1707.
Four more shrines at the western columns are part of the ciborium of the holy altar. All are woodcarved and gilded. The interior of the ciborium is painted, and bears an inscription.

Προηγούμενο

Επόμενο

The Frescoes

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The Frescoes

The frescoes of the cathedral are works of the important Cretan artist Tzortzi. They are characterized by their great size, the beauty of the faces, the peaceful expression of the saints, and the artist’s attempt to convey the interior spirituality of their lives. However, after careful examination of the paintings, differences in their design and their attitudes in general become noticeable, which is likely an indication that Tzortzi had a group of students working with him, whose personal styles were reflected in the sections they completed. All the surfaces of the cathedral are painted, from the altar to the outer nave, and the area is divided into zones.
The order of the themes or subjects depicted follows the known iconographic programme found without deviation in Byzantine and post-Byzantine churches: In the center of the dome is the depiction of Christ the Ruler of All (Παντοκράτορας), flanked by the Host of Angels, the Virgin Mary, and John the Baptist. Below, between the windows of the drum, are the prophets, and further down, in the area of the pendentives (‘triangular spheres’), are the four Evangelists. Lower still, at the outer ring of the arches, are the semi-domes of the side apses, and in the next two zones, scenes depicting the 12 Great Feast Days of the Orthodox Church and the miracles of Christ. In the lowest zone and in the apses of the two areas are full-figure depictions of the martyrs and apostles; on the north side are the five martyrs Eustratios, Auxentios, Eugenios, Mardarios and Orestes, while the founder, Price Petru and his family are depicted on the south. The surfaces of the west wall depict ascetics in full-figure, and in the next zone, above the lintel and the ‘ownership’ inscription, the Dormition of the Virgin. In the semi-dome of the apse of the holy altar, Panagia Platitera (an attribute referring to the particular representation of the Virgin Mary which is very large and also appears in this central position) is depicted, enthroned and holding the Christ child, and below, in the semi-circular space, the Holy Mass, with the angels participating and with the Apostles receiving the holy Communion. In the lower zone, the co-celebrant hierarchs are present, flanking the holy altar and holding open scrolls with text. At the right and left, there are scenes from the Old Testament.

The Construction

The Temple

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The Construction

Despite being known as the Monastery of Dionysius, the Monastery is dedicated to St John the Baptist, the Holy Precursor, and the date of his birth, 24 June, is the feast day of the Monastery. Furthermore, since the time of its founding, the Cathedral has also been dedicated to that saint.
The cathedral stands in the centre of the small courtyard of the monastery and occupies most of that space. The foundation is the rock of the cliff itself, as can be clearly seen in the northeast corner. With funding from Petru Rares, the Prince of Moldovlachia, the cathedral was entirely rebuilt and redecorated in the period 1535-1547, replacing the older church at the same location. The dedicatory inscription, which is found on the west side of the interior of the cathedral, above the lintel of the outer nave and below the depiction of the Dormition of the Virgin, says: ‘This divine and holy church of the true and renowned prophet and Precursor John the Baptist was rebuilt entirely and redecorated through the contribution and expense of his Highness, the true ruler of Moldovlachia, Prince Petru.
The Abbot Matthaios, a monk, in the year 1547’.
Etched into the lead tiles of the cathedral roof are many names and sketches, associated with different chronological periods. Among those which is preserved is the year 1540, made most likely by one of the craftsmen responsible for the first installation of the roof.
The cathedral has a cruciform plan, with three apses and five domes, the so-called Athonite type, which is characteristic of other Athonite cathedrals as well. An interesting innovation are the two apses added to the east wall of the nave, at the corners: These create cylindrical spaces on the interior of the nave, and octagonal spaces on the exterior, and are covered by domes. The sanctuary (πρόθεση) and the deacon’s area (διακονικό) have been moved to these spaces, which flank the central apse of the holy altar at the north and south, respectively.

The Frescoes

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View of Dionysiou Monastery from the sea.

The Founding

The founding of the Dionysios Monastery is dated to the second half of the 14th century and is attributed to the Holy Dionysios, who came from Korisso of Kastoria. At first Dionysios was a member of the brotherhood at the Filotheos Monastery where his older brother Theodosios was Abbot, but Dionysios left there and went to the south side of the peninsula, where he lived as an ascetic in the foothills of Little Athos. Later, because of the wind and the cold, he and his students moved to a location lower down on the mountain, on an area with a flat surface – the so-called ‘old stremma’ -- where they built huts and a church dedicated to St John the Baptist (the Holy Precursor), and planted a vineyard. Since the number of students constantly increased, Dionysios built more huts next to the torrent Drouvanisti, and a second church, which was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Thus, a complete settlement of ascetic dwellings under his spiritual guidance was created, and Dionysios was referred to as the ‘Abbot of the Huts’ in a document of the Protos of Mt Athos.
The rocky and isolated location was ideal for the practice of asceticism. The brotherhood, however, moved to the cliff where the Monastery is located today, not only for reasons of survival, but also to fulfil the vision which Dionysios had twice had: A column of light upon the cliff above the sea, accompanied by the miraculous form of the Holy Precursor, their protector.
With the intervention of his brother Theodosios – who by that time had become the Metropolite of Trebizond (Τραπεζούντος) – Dionysios successfully obtained a chrysobull from the Emperor Alexios III Komninos in 1375. This was the ‘ownership’ chrysobull, which officially marked the founding of the Monastery and assured its institutional existence, its physical infrastructure and its economic survival, a document which is still safeguarded in the Monastery today. At the beginning of the document, there is a small depiction of the Emperor Alexios III and his wife Theodora holding the chrysobull together, looked down upon and blessed by St John the Baptist. Thus, Dionysios built the Monastery, with a high level of support, but also with a great deal of work and sacrifices, including facing the problems caused by repeated pirate raids as well as from natural disasters.
In the chrysobull, the Emperor promised to build a church and cells, an aqueduct for bringing water to the site, and to construct the entire monastery, simply asking in return that he, his family, and his descendants would always and without interruption be remembered in all of the liturgies, a wish which is carefully fulfilled until today. He also asked that the monastery be named ‘the Great Komninos’, and to warmly receive citizens of Trebizond as either visitors or as monks.
To cover the construction costs, Alexios donated 100 somia (units of weight, which later became currency), an amount which in 1340 was equivalent to 140 aspra or silver coins), 50 of which were given immediately to Dionysios, and the remainder to be given within three years. An annual contribution by the Emperor and his heirs of 1,000 komninata was also pledged, so that the construction works would proceed without interruption.

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An Angel Is Dragging
The Chained Satan,
The New Jerusalem

An Angel Is Dragging The Chained Satan, The New Jerusalem

The narrative ends with these two scenes: An angel with a key has bound the devil with a red chain and leads him to the abyss, where he will be locked in:
And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years (Revelation 20, 1-2).
Then the twenty-first scene, the last of this narrative, the presentation of the New Jerusalem to John. Jerusalem, personified as a beautifully dressed bride, is descending from heaven, heralding a feast of joy that erases the terrible images of destruction that preceded it:
And I, John, I saw the city, the Holy New Jerusalem, coming down from God, from heaven

The Fall Of Babylon

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The Fall Of Babylon
And The Victory Of The Rider
Of The white Horse

The Fall Of Babylon And The Victory Of The Rider Of The white Horse

On the right, the fall of Babylon, where a flying angel is shouting, 'Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!' (Revelation 18, 2). Babylon is depicted in flames. A second angel below him throws a great stone on the Euphrates. The association of the two angels and their actions is a clever artistic device and gives strength to the composition.
Below, a king and four merchants mourn the disaster, a clear statement about who is affected by such a blow, 'The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes any more' (Revelation 18, 11).
On the left, there is a confrontation between two groups of riders, the one dressed in red (the army of the kings of the earth), the other in white (the celestial army). The head of the white group is labelled 'The Word of God'. The white group defeats the red one, and throws it into a lake of fire and sulphur, where a flock of white birds led by an angel attacks to finish it. Below, the red seven-headed beast has been overturned and forced off a cliff, having first received the death blow from the white rider.

The great Prostitute

An Angel Is Dragging...

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The great Prostitute
And The Beast

The great Prostitute And The Beast

The words of one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls are quoted at the top:
'Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits by many waters. With her, the kings of the earth committed adultery, and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries” (Revelation 17, 1-2).
The image illustrates quite accurately the episode:
I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet and was glittering with gold, precious stones, and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. The name written on her forehead was a mystery: Babylon the great, the mother of prostitutes, and of the abominations of the earth. I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus (Revelation 17, 3-6).

The Seven Angels

The Fall Of Babylon

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The Seven Angels With
The Bowls Of Wrath

The Seven Angels With The Bowls Of Wrath

The inscription quotes the beginning of chapter 15:
'I saw in heaven another great and marvellous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed (Revelation 15, 1).
These angels are pouring the rest of the wrath of God from their basins everywhere, according to the narrative:
Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed (Revelation 15, 7-8)
and to the entire chapter 16, where every angel pours out the wrath on a different part of the world:
... The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. Then I saw three impure spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet (Rev. 16, 12-13). This is illustrated in the lower part.

The Reaping And The Harvest

The great Prostitute

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