Koutloumousiou 1989

2011

Not a lot of pilgrims spend a night in Koutloumousiou. When we tried to get a place to sleep in 1986 we were told to book a room in the Karyes Hotel, only 15 minutes away. Most pilgrims pass by and have, like us last year, just a brief look inside the monastery, before taking the path to Iviron. Here are some impressions of the buildings, the courtyard and the fresco’s of the exonarthex.

Plan of Koutloumousiou

Until now I used plans from the Feigl book. As you can see I found much more detailed and better plan of the monastery and its surroundings from the ‘Atlas of Athos’, published by Paul Mylonas in 2000. On “J” Feigl mentions a 200 year old vine, but I am afraid that it has been removed, because we did not find any in October 2011. The red round spot shows the new location of the Phiale.

Courtyard, katholikon and phiale (photo Jitze B, also below, taken from B)

Courtyard photo taken from B or F (see plans below)

Katholikon and exonarthex Koutloumousiou

Phiale – as you can read in post 595 this phiale was recently moved from a spot near the bell tower (see A1 and F), to a more central spot on the main courtyard, also between the church and the trapeza, but on the other side (see the red marking on Feigls’ plan above).

The deplorable state of the phiale, because of earthquakes (before 1980 – from the Feigl book)

Courtyard: Building S or H1 and church. This wing of the building was badly burnt in december 1980.

On the old spot where the phiale once stood, just in front of the bell tower, a small round chapel appeared (see 5 or B on the plans).

Gartner of Koutloumousiou taking care of his plants (photo Jitze B)

Windows above the main entrance

Wim, 15/2 (next time some pictures of the fresco’s in the exonarthex)