On September 26 this year we ended our Athos trip in Docheiariou, for me it was 33 years ago I visited this monastery.
Docheiariou 1980
After it got dark we ended up on a balcony, where this picture was taken 33 years ago. We enjoyed the sunset and the thousands of stars that appeared above us. This evening in church the important feast of the “Exhaltation of the Cross” was celebrated. In total darkness – there were no electric lamps lit that evening – a monk started playing his rithem on the semantron, the wooden beam that is used to warn all monks that the service in church is about to begin. This evening the monk played an extra long and complicated rithem, and not long afterwards he started playing a melody on the bells, also much longer and more beautifull than I ever heard before!
Sografou 1980: a monk walking around the church with the semantron
I was lucky to bring my camera and “film” this event, the only thing is, IT WAS TOTALLY DARK! So you won’t see any images, you can only hear the sound. When you listen to this extraordinary and amazing “sound-film”, I would advice to use a headphone and to close your eyes for 8:24 minutes! Enjoy !
Father David of Timiou Stavrou playing his bells in 2011
Docheiariou 1980
Wim, 30/10
