Prince Charles talking to Athos monks.
You can find this picture in a fine black and white photo slide-show about Chilandariou/Athos on You Tube, made by Hadzi Miodrag Miladinovic at 8:45, and another one of the Prince of Wales at 0.19' (thanks to Giannis).
Wim, 16/3
In this last post about the article of Quinn I will show you the remaining drawings.
16. Xenofontos: site plan
17. Xenofontos: detail site plan
9. Xenofontos: trapeza
25. Esfigmenou: entrance sequence from the west
26. Esfigmenou: entrance sequence from the east
27. Esfigmenou: from the north
28. Chilandariou from the east
29. Chilandariou: plan
30. Chilandariou: entrance sequence
31. Chilandariou: courtyard
Wim, 13/3
The idea of this weblog started with the preparations of our visit to Athos May 2007. At first we started writing in Dutch, but soon we got the hang of it and were aiming at a wider audience by using the English language. To our surprise the audience come from all over the world: people from the US, UK, Greece of course but also visitors from countries which we did not expect such as Japan, United Arab Emirates and Brazil (in total 2009: 121 countries!). In time we bought more books about the Holy Mountain and our knowledge grew.
A handicap is that we can't understand the Greek language. Our intitiative had a follower in Keliotes/Giannis, who had already a nice Athos-website in Greek, but also discovered that the blog is a nice tool to tell the story of this beautifull place. We still are using his posts - using Google translate - and he does the same with some of our small discoveries. Not only we got more pageviews, but visitors started to make comments and began to inform us about Athos related stuff. We like to thank them in particular, because this interaction and feedback stimulated us very much. In September 2009 we again visited the Mountain. Wim for the 6th time and Herman for the 4th time. Accompanied by 5 good friends we had a wonderful time especially in Mylopotamos, which we shall show you in the coming months. We are not done yet. Already there are plans for another trip in 2011 and there are still stories we want to tell. We hope that you will keep on visiting this blog and give your reactions, comments and tips. Many thanks for that. This is a good opportunity to ask a couple of questions which we are curious about.
- What will be the effect of the economical and financial crisis in Greece at the moment for Mount Athos?
- Does anybody know if this weblog has followers on the Holy Mountain itself?
Wim and Herman Voogd, Amsterdam/Haarlem, The Netherlands
Wim having breakfast with father Joachim at Mylopotamos, 27 Sept. 2009
Herman on the path from Sografou to Konstamonitou. Sept 2009 (photo by B. Kamps)
Wim in our room at Mylopotamos, checking the route for the next day, 26 Sept. 2009
Herman on the beach of Ouranopolis, 25 Sept. 2009
With the restoration of the Chilandariou monastery after the fire of 2004 the St Sava’s Field vineyard, abandoned 30 years ago, has been planted with 47,000 Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon vines, to produce wine for the monastery, as well as for export to raise funds for the restoration.
hv
On the nightly news in France on may 19th 2009 (France 2, Journal de 20 heures), there was a report that a reporter visited the Esphigmenou Monastery (which is usually closed to outsiders) and the monks showed him around the monastery. In the hidden treasure room, they videotaped a well-preserved tent of Napoleon that had been seized by "pirates". A guide book on Greece (Greece By Dana Facaros and Linda Theodorou) says that the tent came from the Russian campaign and was donated by "pious pirates".
The Katholikon/church of Esfigmenou is dedicated to the Ascension
A Wikipedia article says it is "a large part of the tent used by Napoleon. The tent remnant is used as the curtain for the sanctuary door in the katholikon on the feast day of the Holy Ascension."
On another site, it says "Esphigmenou has in its possession a large (3.05×2.80 m2) part of Napoleon Bonaparte's tent, which was donated to the monastery by Patriarch Gregory V of Constantinople. The monks use this once a year, at the celebration of the Ascension of Christ, as a tent over the entrance of the katholicon."
Interiour the Katholikon of Esfigmenou
You can read the story about the tent here and the whole story at the site of Esfigmenou.
Details of the tent
Wim, 22/5
Ag. Vasiliou, the ruin of St basil near Chilandariou in 1988.
More Chilandariou pictures from 1988 on the Flickr page of K. Milenkowic.
The medal has been minted in 1999 to commemorate Holy Mount Athos and the monastery I.M. Chilandaríou.
hv
1918
hv
The visit of the king Petar Karađorđević to the Chilandar
Digital copies of the Album of photographs from Chilandar: His Majesty the King of Serbia Petar I. The Album represents a phonographic record of the Visit of the King Petar I Karađorđević to the Monastery Chilandar, in March 25th 1910, and it was completed by photographs displaying the exterior and interior of the Monastery complex. The Author of the Photography is D. Baubin. The Collection contains 30 digital files.
King planting a cypress.
Ruins of Vassiliou or St. Basils
Milutin tower
Here you will find all the photo's of this serbian book.
hv
The visit of the king Aleksandar Obrenović to the Chilandar
Digital copies of photographs which document the visit of the King Aleksandar Obrenović to the Monastery Chilandar, on Easter 1896. During his visit, Aleksandar Obrenović received the Miroslav Gospel, as a gift from the Chilandar Monks and brought it in Serbia
King planting a cypress.
hv
Before the fire of 2004
After the fire. (Photo courtesy A, Schmutzhard see nr. 447)
hv
Never saw so many photo's of this tragic event here and here.
Thanks to Annelies Schmutzhard on Picasa.
In this earlier post on this weblog more information about the fire.
hv
Iviron
Chilandariou
hv
In 1997 we walked from Sografou to Chilandariou: the path sometimes changed into a little brook:
This a plan a of the monastery:
You enter the monastery through this magnificent gate (1):
and you can expect your coffee with raki (or is it šljivovicu ?) at the waitingroom of the guesthouse (2).
The monastery's courtyard with Phiale (5):
The Katholikon (3) dates from 1303 and was financed by the King Stefan Uros II. Mulutin (1282 - 1321). Also see the picture in 346 of the Mulutin-tower.
Under the roof of the Phiale you will find these fresco's, painted in 1847 by monk Makarios. Look at the face of Christ and the "latin"-influences in those days.
A painting above the door of the refectory (4) with the founders of the monastery (1198), a Serbian king Stephen and his son Rastko, who namend themselfs Simeon (r.) and Savvas (l.) as monks.
A picture of the "1000-year old" vine (Q), which was accordingly planted in 1204. If I remember correctly, I was told that the grapes could help invertile women....
In a corner of the exo-narthex a monk left his semantron ("talanto" says Graham Speake).
The hallways are quite photogenic, but very dangerous:
That afternoon we were able to visit the museum and library (F) and we had a talk with two monks (librarian and gartner):
Outside the monastary you will find gardens and this ossuarium:
(that night in Chilandariou no pictures were taken in our bedroom, but I can asure you that the Scottish and Serbian national strong drinks were abundant available, and we had a good conversation with a anonymous and friendly Serb, and the next morning we took it easy ......(!)
We could not leave the monastery before promessing the gartner that we would send some flowerseeds from Holland. He looked happy and I wonder what he achived next year!
Thanks to Visilis: he showed us this link to Chilandariou's current renovation.
Wim, 08/2/08
Unique Colour! Photograph's of the Serbian monastery by Fernand Cuville taken during WW1. See also here.
Tour conjointe à des maisons, dans la campagne: This tower is not within the compounds of the monastery. Is it still in the surroundings or in ruins?
hv
1879
1917/18
200?
1918
march 2004 FIRE
In dutch: http://www.eikonikon.nl/bulletin/2004/brandopathos.php
In english:http://abacus.bates.edu/~rallison/friends/Chilandar/index.html
In german:
Restauration in 2007 (foto van Athosvrienden:http://home.planet.nl/~lecq0009/)
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