BYZANTINE MONASTERY OF OSSIOS LOUKAS

It is first of all a marvelous panorama in any season which alone deserves the detour. Raised on Mount Helikon, the monastery has two churches built with the remains of a temple of Demeter. Originally, in 946, Saint Luke the Stiriot built a lodge and a garden on the present site of the monastery, to live as a hermit. St. Luke had the gift of healing and prophecy, which is why, after his death, his tomb was the object of many pilgrimages. Today his reliquary is in the church of St. Luke, Ossios Loukas, but his relics have been transferred to the Vatican. The monastery is still home to Orthodox monks. Canonized as Luke the Younger, Ossios Loukas is considered a saint by both Orthodox and Catholics. He is also known as the Venerable Luke, Luke the Thaumaturgist or Luke the Stiriot (deformation of soterion, "salvation"). On the outside, to the north and west, you can see the location of the old cells that have disappeared. Only one has remained, topped by the clock that can be seen at the entrance. On the right, you enter the refectory to pay your ticket.

The refectory.

Consisting of two floors, it now forms a small museum where architectural fragments of the site are exhibited. The lower floor is closed; it was used as a storage room for the monks while they ate their meals in the present museum.

We now go to the church of Saint Luke, the first church towards the entrance and the most imposing.

Church of Saint Luke.

Important: to find your way in the following descriptions, you must remember that the church is oriented towards the east. The north is on the left when you enter, the south on the right and the west towards the entrance.

From the outside, we can already see that the walls were built, at their base, with the remains of the ancient Stiri, while the top is made of tuff, a local stone. The spaces are filled with bricks. Behind it, there is the ancient fountain of the monastery. The church, of octagonal type, is especially known for its splendid mosaics, which can be seen in the first room, called narthex, and in the nave, which is the main room.

Mosaics of the narthex.

The first mosaic by entering represents Christ; in the four triangles above the entrance, we can see the Virgin, Saint John the Baptist and two archangels. In front of Christ, in the circles, there are five martyrs. On the left, on the vault, are represented doctors.

The washing of Peter's feet is shown to the north, six saints to the west and the Crucifixion to the east. The latter is simple, with John, the Virgin and the Lord with their eyes closed. To the right of the narthex, the east wall shows the Resurrection, the west wall, saints, and the scene of Thomas' disbelief, which touches the Lord's side on the south wall. All along the narthex, on the edges between the different mosaics, are represented the twelve apostles. In all, the narthex is decorated with 43 characters and four scenes of the Gospel.

Mosaics of the nave and the hieron

. Here too, there are very few scenes from the Gospel, since there are only five. Opposite and to the left, to the northeast, the Annunciation has disappeared. Opposite and to the right, to the southeast, is the Nativity, with the Virgin, the animals, the shepherds, the bath with the two women, Joseph on the left, the Magi, the angels and of course Jesus. Still on the right towards the entrance, in the southwest, we can see the presentation of Jesus in the Temple. Simeon prepares to receive Christ, while Joseph and Anne watch the scene. Towards the entrance, on the left this time, to the northwest, we can recognize the baptism of Christ. In this symmetrical scene, where the naked body of Jesus is hidden by water, the old man symbolizes the river Jordan below. Finally, above the altar, the Pentecost. The Holy Spirit sends his goodness, symbolized by rays, to the apostles. A representation of the Virgin and Child can be seen below. The other personalities of the Church are hierarchs, saints and martyrs, with a large majority of monks and military saints representing the strength of the Byzantine army that defended the Orthodox.

Frescoes of St. Luke.

In the southwestern chapel, Christ discusses with St. John the Baptist. In the northwestern chapel is represented the transfiguration with 20 saints, including St. Luke, the founder of the monastery. The large dome depicts Christ Pantocrator, of gigantic size. The Gospel held by Christ measures 1.10 m and each archangel 2.25 m. The northeast chapel allows you to pass to the church of the Virgin. This kind of passage is very rare. The reliquary of Ossios Loukas can be found here, but without the relics. Above it is a representation of Saint Nicholas.

Church of the Virgin.

Started by St. Luke and completed two years after his death in 955, it is frescoed, but only the frescoes in the vaulted passage to the right of the hieron are still visible. The marble floor is of a very Byzantine type. We then go to the crypt, whose entrance is on the right of the church of Saint Luke, from the outside.

Crypt.

It was built to house the first tomb of Saint Luke. Designed according to a cross-shaped plan, it has a marble iconostasis. On the right, as you enter, Saint Luke blesses the monastery and presents the rules of monastic life.