Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre

303_4497 [Sacred Heart]

 

Are you already in Paris for the Olympic Games?

If you are, I’m sure your schedule will accommodate a visit

to this exceptionally interesting Basilica. [Google maps: 48.88689, 2.34316]

 

This Roman Catholic Basilica, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus,

is an architectural marvel and a church of national historical interest.

It is built at the top of a hill, two hundred meters higher than the Seign;

At a point from where visitors (more than 11 million per year)

enjoy a unique, panoramic view of Paris and the suburbs below.

 

Do not forget to climb to the dome. The view is superb!

 

Please click on the picture for a better view. 

Mola

Mola is an area of outstanding natural beauty at an altitude of 1000 m. on Mount Parnitha in Attica

and is a pole of attraction for every visitor of the mountain.

There are beautiful meadows with springs of water, organized places of recreation and a little chapel.

 

 

801_3951 [Mola chapel]

 

The main point of reference in the area is the chapel of Saints Peter and Paul around which there are tables for family picnics, a spring with cold drinking water, and even a small outdoor theater.

Unfortunately, it presents a disappointing image of abandonment both externally and internally and one may even wonder it has ever been used for service.

 

801_7472 [Mola interior]

 

the interior of the chapel

 

 

801_7437 [spring]

Getting a few more drops of water from the nearby spring for the trip back to Athens.

 

UDCH7440 [hollow tree]

This tree, with its hollow and “see-through” trunk, is located behind the chapel. 

Ιt’s shape, coupled with the fact that you can see through the trunk whatever happens on the road behind the tree, is a pure photographic challenge.

The photographer in the center, who is taking a picture of the spring [above], was added afterwards to demonstrate the idea of the “see-through trunk”.

 

The pictures were taken in April 2014. 

 

Please click on the pictures to get a better view.

Kaisariani Monastery: A slide show

[Kaisariani monastery: A slide show]

 

A virtual tour of all the premises of the Byzantine Monastery of Kaisariani (11 c.) on Mt. Hymittos near Athens

in the form of a slide show with extensive presentation of wall paintings in the church.

 

Duration 33' 26"

 

Watching it in FULL SCREEN is recommended.

(Make sure you have your cup of coffee with you to avoid viewing interruption!!!)

• Music:

https://www.purple-planet.com

 

• Liturgical Chant:

excerpts from live transmissions of the Divine Liturgy at Athens Cathedral by ERT 2,

from "Τα Πάθη τα Σεπτά" broadcasted in 2011 by ERT 3 (Voice of Charilaos Taliadoros),

and from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c58KR... (Voice of Dimitrios Papagiannopoulos) 

 

• Script:

based on the leaflet "Kaisariani Monastery" by Aik. Pantelidou - Alexiadou:

distributed free by The Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports 

 

Redistribution is allowed as long as the slide show remains unaltered 

and proper reference is made to the source.

 

Photographs taken in 2016-2020

 

Το slide show είναι διαθέσιμο και με ελληνικούς υπότιτλους στο YouTube.

Για να μεταφερθείτε εκεί, παρακαλώ, κάντε κλικ ΕΔΩ.

Saint George and Saint Irene

Please click on the pictures for a better view. 

 

803_1101 [Saint George Papagou]

A Greek Orthodox church dedicated to Saint George and Saint Irene, found at the residential area of Papagos very close to the foot of Mt. Hymittos. It was opened to the public in 2011 but it was inaugurated in 2018. I found it architecturally attractive and photographically inviting, although it is very similar to many Greek Orthodox churches I had seen before.

 

803_1625 [Saint George Papagou]

 

The interior, however, is quite dissimilar to other churches. 

 

[If you want to see an example of a dissimilar church, please click HERE.]

 

What surprised me, however, were the stained-glass windows it is decorated with, which as far as I know, are not a common feature of Greek Orthodox churches.

 

Here follow four such windows:

803_1612 - 803_1611 [Kosmas + Damianos]

 

803_1614 + 803_1615 [Nektarios + Nikolaos]

 

All photographed on March 28, 2018

 

 

Ag. Eirini

801_8427 [Ag. Eirini]

This little church, dedicated to St. Eirini, can be found at the very foot of Mt. Hymittos next to the residential area of Argyroupolis in Athens. It takes nearby residents only five minutes’ walk to get there and, besides lighting their own candle in the church, they can picnic in a beautiful spot arranged to that purpose under the trees.

Photographed on November 09, 2014

Please click on the picture for a better view.

The Holy Trinity Chapel

801_9506 [Holy Trinity Chapel]

This beautiful little chapel, found at a height of 600 meters on Mt Parnitha, is located in an environmentally privileged area and constitutes a highlight of Ippokrateios Politeia: A community of 1000 people lives permanently there in more than 600 houses. This chapel occasionally hosts under its roof believers from this community and certainly constitutes a highlight for crowds of visitors who come here in search of natural beauty.


The interior

801_9525 [Holy Trinity, the interior]

IMHO, the view of the interior is rather disappointing. It stands between simplicity and … lack of interest. It would be nice, I think, to see some changes for the better some time.


A structure nearby

801_9511 [Holy Trinity, a structure nearby]

Opposite the entrance to the chapel - only a few meters away - one can see an elegant little structure that offers fresh water to the passers-by. If close enough, they can read an inscription on its face that reads:

“ΝΙΨΟΝΑΝΟΜΗΜΑΤΑΜΗΜΟΝΑΝΟΨΙΝ”

It’s a Greek phrase that can be read from left to right or from right to left and means:
“Wash off your sins. Don't wash your face only”.


All photographed on Mt. Parnitha on April 30, 2015

Please click on the pictures for a better view.

 

Up there on the mountain…

CCC_9292 [Up there on the mountain]

It was in the hot month of August when a friend of mine and I set out early in the morning to explore the mountainous area not far from the historic town of Karavrita in high hopes that, besides exploring the area, we might find a spot of photographic interest. Indeed, in the middle of the day we found this chapel standing on a high hill and overlooking a beautiful gorge below. Perhaps not of much interest to my blog viewer today but when I saw it, it triggered emotions to the blogger. It reminded me of a little song that all of us - children at Elementary school - had to learn and chant about 70 years ago [Yes, the number is correct!] I can still recite or chant it as easily as 70 years ago.
For some reason, I feel urged to remind my Greek friends of that song [in its original form] and also to render it in simple, non-poetic, English for the sake of my non-Greek visitors who might want to have a better understanding of the blogger's emotions triggered by the chapel.

CCC_9292 [the song]

Χριστός Ανέστη!
Χρόνια Πολλά!

 

The Cathedral of Athens

802_6311 [The Cathedral of Athens 2]

An early evening shot of the Cathedral of Athens.

Please click on both pictures for a better view.

For more pictures and info about the Cathedral please click here.

Photographed on July 20, 2016

 

By the way, on the left, in the foreground one can see the statue of Archbishop Damaskinos [See below]: a prominent figure who, during the German occupation (1941-1944), assisted the people who suffered, defended their rights and freedom and opposed strongly to the persecution and holocaust of the Greek Jews.
He was a man of great courage who stood up against the German occupation authorities (1943) and said: “The members of the clergy of Greece may not be shot. They may only be hanged. I beg you to respect this tradition….” [Inscription can be seen at the back of the statue.]

802_6600 [Archbishop Damaskinos]

Photographed on August 18, 2016

Ag. Nektarios

801_6852-HDRx5 [Ag. Nektarios]

The church above is dedicated to St. Nektarios; a saint of the Eastern Orthodox Church canonized only recently, in 1961. It is located within the convent of The Holy Trinity on the island of Aegina in the Saronic Gulf and is daily visited by large numbers of believers coming from all parts of Greece to pay tribute to the saint.

The structure is of comparatively huge dimensions. Apart from the church seen in the picture, there is another - separate - church beneath it. The total capacity of the structure is estimated to be 9.000 people. It’s corner stone was laid in December 1973 and it was inaugurated 21 years later, in May 1994. Today, it constitutes one of the largest churches of the Greek Orthodoxy.

Photographed on the island of Aegina on August 07, 2014

Please click on the picture for a better view.

The Cathedral of Athens

802_6445 [Athens cathedral]

The Cathedral of Athens is centrally located, very close to Syntagma Square, and constitutes a major landmark of the city. It is 40 m long, 20 m wide and 24 m high. It’s construction started on Christmas Day of 1842 and was completed 20 years later. On May 21, 1862 it was dedicated to the Annunciation of the Holy Virgin Mary at the presence of the King Otto and Queen Amalia who had laid the cornerstone 20 years earlier.
 
Throughout its history, it has been the venue of all sorts of official ceremonies ranging from coronations to royal weddings and to funerals of prominent figures of the Greek society.

Photographed in Athens on July 20, 2016



 

802_6597 [Athens Cathedral: Interior]

 The interior of the Cathedral seems to impress all visitors who have the opportunity to admire the plethora of Byzantine-style icons and frescoes, treasures like a part of the chain that Romans used to chain up Paul the Apostle in Rome, or the tombs of two saints: Agía Filothéi and Patriarch Gregory V to name a few.
 
While the night-shot of the exterior of the Cathedral was easy to take with the use of a tripod, photographing the interior proved problematic. Huge dimensions, dim light, and no tripod permitted were only some of the problems any photographer would face. The problem was partially solved with 18 pictures HDRed into 6 and then stitched into the above hand-held 2x3 panorama.
 
Photographed in Athens on August 18, 2016
 
Please click on both pictures for a better view.

The Monastery of Archangels - Asteriou

The entrance

801_8343 [Asteriou: The entrance]

The entrance to a little Byzantine monastery which stands on the northwestern part of Mt. Hymittos at a height of 545 m.

The monastery dates back to 10th c. and was populated until 1960. Throughout its history it has housed a large library. It’s dedicated to Archangels Michael and Gabriel but it’s commonly known as Asteriou Monastery. A name that became widely used after a monk (Osios Loukas) from Steirio lived in the monastery circa 920 AD. The church caught fire at some time but some of the frescoes that date back to 16th c. can still be seen.
 

The court yard

801_8327 [Asteriou: The court yard]

The refectory

801_8303 HDR9 [Asteriou: The refectory]

The church interior

801_8319 HDR7 [Asteriou: The church interior]

Photographed on Mt. Hymittos on November 2, 2014

Église de Saint-Germain-des-Prés

CCC_4457 [Saint-Germain]

The exterior: as seen from the square Saint-Germain-des-Prés

CCC_4451 [Siant-Germain]

The interior

Both photographed on August 12, 2011

The church was completed and consecrated in 558 A. D. It is considered to be the oldest church in Paris.

In one of its side chapels one can see the tomb of the French philosopher and mathematician Rene Descartes.

Looking upwards

CCC_9513 [Looking upwards]

The Observatory of Athens (top) and the church of Ag. Marina both stand side by side on a hill facing the Acropolis of Athens. They “lead their lives” in a similar way: One looks upwards to observe the stars in the sky. The other looks upwards to communicate with the Creator of stars. …

Athens:  18 /9 /2012, photo by Tony Taglides

St. John the Baptist

IMG_0037 St. John the Baptist

This little church was built in 1919 on a hill facing the hill where the Temple of Poseidon is built on Cape Sounio. The church is abandoned today and not in use anymore. Yet, it subliminally continues to shed “the eternal light”.

Legrena: 12/09/2011, photo © Tony Taglides