On our way to Prodromou we made a quick visit to the Great Lavra monastery. Although I visited this spot a couple of times before, I’d never had a chance to find the ossuary. Before visiting these buildings outside the monastery walls, we received a warm a welcome and a refreshment (water, coffee and tsipourou) at the guesthouse.

 This plan from Mylonas shows you the buildings I visited:

At S you can find an old water mill (not in use):

Q is the arched gate to the area.

And R is the door to the graveyard and its buildings

Detail of the text above the door

At O is the field with the graves/crosses:

And next to it a building P that lies above the actual ossuarium (Z):

with used crosses with the names of the deceased, and

a niche with a wall painting, with the cross of Ioakim……..

You have to leave the area and follow the path towards Prodromou, to find the entrance to the ossuarium at Z:

And when you peek through the door you see this: the bones and skulls of inhabitants who have lived here over a 1000 years !

Inside the monastery this text above a kitchen door drew my attention:

Detail of the text

After a short visit to Lavra it is time to leave for the last stretch of our hike from Karakalou to Prodromou.

The entrance to Lavra, Jitze and Winfried

Wim, 13/7

(from 15/7 to 10/8 I will have summer holidays: see you again in 4 weeks. Have a nice vacation all of you!)