Representation of how the Madonna painting was found and its first miracle.
The miraculous painting of Madonna
The ''Mega Spilaion'' monastery
The Holocaust memorial at Kalavryta
Taken from the Kalavryta train station...
View from inside the rack train 3
View from inside the rack train 2
View from inside the rack train 1
The Prytaneion(not very sure though! :) )
The Olympia Stadium
The ''Philippeion''
A bronze horse...
Nice shield man...
''Hermes carrying Dionysus as an infant'' by Praxiteles. Medium quality...
Zeus carying Ganymedes
Hundreds of offerings!
The museum's first room
PART 3
Hello Hello! Welcome back. Today, I’m going to write about Olympia and Kalavryta. So, here we go:
OLYMPIA
I’m sure you know Olympia, the site of the ancient Olympic games! Historical information is not what I have in my mind, as you can find it all over the internet but my very personal experience and emotions.
The archaeological museum of Olympia was my first destination. Built in 1982, I think it is one of the best museums in Greece(maybe even better than the new Acropolis one), because you can admire exhibits like statues and miniatures among the collections of small tools, coins, offerings etc, available in other museums too. The gorgeous statue of Hermes bearing the infant Dionysus by Praxiteles, the Nike of Paeonius, Zeus carrying Ganymedes, Pediments of the Temple of Zeus, the helmet of Miltiades, Miniature bronze statue of a horse, reliefs use as decoration for the gable of the Temple of Hera building, huge shields and many other. I felt happy, proud but also a bit sad while looking at all those pieces of art, which are so useful on connecting the past with the present and the future…
Soon afterwards, I visited the archaeological site. To tell you the truth, I prefer museums to sites, as a lot of fantasy is required to imagine that these old stones used to be buildings and the place you are at is where one of the most important athletic events of seniority came alive! For me, the most impressive buildings were the Stadium and the Philippeion. Unfortunatelly, we were not able to stay for very long, as the heat was somewhat exhaustive.
Oh, and don’t forget that Olympia is also a nice village, with cute tavernas, cafeterias and souvenir shops, if you want to have some rest.
KALAVRYTA
Kalavryta symbolizes an important part of the country’s history too. This is not only where the Greek War Of Independence started(at the Agia Lavra monastery where the banner was weaved and was blessed by Bishop Palaion Patron Germanos) but also where the Nazis killed 2000+ people(boys and men over the age of twelve-only 13 survived) in retribution for the killing of 81 German soldiers captured by partisans. And the ironic fact(not written in wikipedia!-A taxi driver there told me!) was that the mayor of Kalavryta, who had studied at a university in Germany, could not believe that the Germans would do such a bestiality! As a result, he convinced the residents to stay home and not abandon the city. In the aftermath, his predictions cost thoushands of lives!
Recommended places to visit are: the memorial site of Kalavryta, the Holocaust museum, the ‘’Agia Lavra’’ monastery and the ‘’Mega Spilaion’’ monastery. Unfortunatelly, I was able to visit only the memorial site and the second monastery.
The memorial site is nothing more than a list of the Holocaust victims carved into big pieces of marble. On the other hand, the ‘Mega Spilaion’’ monastery is a unique place! Built on the rocks of the mountains, the monastery uses caves as temples and rooms! Although it’s being renovated, we were able to see the church and two rooms.
The church is really old, has been on fire four times(!) and features a miraculous portrait of Madonna, called ‘’Panagia Deksia’’(deksia=right in greek). It was painted by Mark the Evangelist and it is said that he used Madonna herself as a model! He actually, used her shadow, as he could barely look her in the eyes! As a result, he painted Madonna holding Jesus with her RIGHT hand, instead of left, as she’s usually seen(have ever heard of photo negatives ;) )! The painting is made of mastic and wax and is almost 2000 years old ! According to the tradition, the painting was found by Saint Euphrosyne, who was a female shepard. Moreover, when the two founders of the monastery, entered a cave holding the painting, a dragon appeared, bursting flames and ready to kill. But when it looked at the painting, it died! This was the first miracle! As far as the wall paintings and architecture are concerned, the church is really interesting too.
On the other rooms, you can see the representation of the first mircale, other paintings, relics and of course, the hand of Saint Haralambos.
My article about Kalavryta would not be complete without a reference to the rack train! The Diakofto-Kalavryta railway runs 22km from Diakofto to Kalavryta, through the Vouraikos Gorge. The trip has been nominated as the 6th most impressive train trip in the world! And I understood why(and you will, if you take a look at the photos above!)!Bridges, rivers with small rapids, tunels, colourful stations and many more is why traveling with this train is a trip not to miss! Words cannot describe it!
Stay tuned for the final part! More destinations(a beach, another city and a wine house) and nightlife!
Hello Hello! Welcome back. Today, I’m going to write about Olympia and Kalavryta. So, here we go:
OLYMPIA
I’m sure you know Olympia, the site of the ancient Olympic games! Historical information is not what I have in my mind, as you can find it all over the internet but my very personal experience and emotions.
The archaeological museum of Olympia was my first destination. Built in 1982, I think it is one of the best museums in Greece(maybe even better than the new Acropolis one), because you can admire exhibits like statues and miniatures among the collections of small tools, coins, offerings etc, available in other museums too. The gorgeous statue of Hermes bearing the infant Dionysus by Praxiteles, the Nike of Paeonius, Zeus carrying Ganymedes, Pediments of the Temple of Zeus, the helmet of Miltiades, Miniature bronze statue of a horse, reliefs use as decoration for the gable of the Temple of Hera building, huge shields and many other. I felt happy, proud but also a bit sad while looking at all those pieces of art, which are so useful on connecting the past with the present and the future…
Soon afterwards, I visited the archaeological site. To tell you the truth, I prefer museums to sites, as a lot of fantasy is required to imagine that these old stones used to be buildings and the place you are at is where one of the most important athletic events of seniority came alive! For me, the most impressive buildings were the Stadium and the Philippeion. Unfortunatelly, we were not able to stay for very long, as the heat was somewhat exhaustive.
Oh, and don’t forget that Olympia is also a nice village, with cute tavernas, cafeterias and souvenir shops, if you want to have some rest.
KALAVRYTA
Kalavryta symbolizes an important part of the country’s history too. This is not only where the Greek War Of Independence started(at the Agia Lavra monastery where the banner was weaved and was blessed by Bishop Palaion Patron Germanos) but also where the Nazis killed 2000+ people(boys and men over the age of twelve-only 13 survived) in retribution for the killing of 81 German soldiers captured by partisans. And the ironic fact(not written in wikipedia!-A taxi driver there told me!) was that the mayor of Kalavryta, who had studied at a university in Germany, could not believe that the Germans would do such a bestiality! As a result, he convinced the residents to stay home and not abandon the city. In the aftermath, his predictions cost thoushands of lives!
Recommended places to visit are: the memorial site of Kalavryta, the Holocaust museum, the ‘’Agia Lavra’’ monastery and the ‘’Mega Spilaion’’ monastery. Unfortunatelly, I was able to visit only the memorial site and the second monastery.
The memorial site is nothing more than a list of the Holocaust victims carved into big pieces of marble. On the other hand, the ‘Mega Spilaion’’ monastery is a unique place! Built on the rocks of the mountains, the monastery uses caves as temples and rooms! Although it’s being renovated, we were able to see the church and two rooms.
The church is really old, has been on fire four times(!) and features a miraculous portrait of Madonna, called ‘’Panagia Deksia’’(deksia=right in greek). It was painted by Mark the Evangelist and it is said that he used Madonna herself as a model! He actually, used her shadow, as he could barely look her in the eyes! As a result, he painted Madonna holding Jesus with her RIGHT hand, instead of left, as she’s usually seen(have ever heard of photo negatives ;) )! The painting is made of mastic and wax and is almost 2000 years old ! According to the tradition, the painting was found by Saint Euphrosyne, who was a female shepard. Moreover, when the two founders of the monastery, entered a cave holding the painting, a dragon appeared, bursting flames and ready to kill. But when it looked at the painting, it died! This was the first miracle! As far as the wall paintings and architecture are concerned, the church is really interesting too.
On the other rooms, you can see the representation of the first mircale, other paintings, relics and of course, the hand of Saint Haralambos.
My article about Kalavryta would not be complete without a reference to the rack train! The Diakofto-Kalavryta railway runs 22km from Diakofto to Kalavryta, through the Vouraikos Gorge. The trip has been nominated as the 6th most impressive train trip in the world! And I understood why(and you will, if you take a look at the photos above!)!Bridges, rivers with small rapids, tunels, colourful stations and many more is why traveling with this train is a trip not to miss! Words cannot describe it!
Stay tuned for the final part! More destinations(a beach, another city and a wine house) and nightlife!
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