1849 – Skiti Andreou: a walk around the main church

andreou-plan-nr-1The main church (E on the plan), build in 1900, was until recently the biggest church on the Balkan. It is enormous and ment for large groups of pilgrims, like the ones you see below on the historic picture from 1900.andreou-lunch-in-the-courtyard-beginning-1900dscn7041-large-kopieThe same spot as the black and white picture above, seen from building J on the plan.

In this post I will show you the pictures that I took while walking around the church.dscn7012-largeThis is a picture of the most ruined wings of the North/West side of the skete, shot behind building J. If you turn your head to the right you will see this part of the NW wing:dscn7013-largeNW wing of skiti Andreoudscn7014-largeAnd here we see the NW wall of the main church on your right hand. Behind pilgrim Jizte in his blue shirt is the gate to the guest quarters and right from him is the entrance to the trapeza in de basement of the church.dscn7029-largeOn this photo I already walked around the corner of the church and took a shot of the backside. dscn7030-largeAbove the arches this text shows up, which I could not read/translate.dscn6981-largeWhen you turn the next corner at the back of the building and go down a bit, you see renovation activities of the South/East wing and again a part of the back of the church.  dscn7032-largeA view of the South side of the church with the bronze bells at spot N and the entrance (A) on the left.dscn7031-largeHere you see another text inscribted in the wall: it must be in Russian. Who can help translating these texts?

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURESThe South wall of the church and bells – N (photo by Jitze Bakker)dscn7033-largeAn iron door in Andreou.dscn7010-largeThese are the steps that lead to the main church, with the gate A in the background. Notice the monk with the wooden leg, who slept that night on a bench in the corridor of the guesthouse!dscn7015-largeInside the main churchdscn7045-largedscn7045dscn7046-largeThe Tomb of an important member of the skete: Hegumen (=Abbot) Hieromonachos Vissarion/Bessarion (thanks Bertinos).dscn7047-largeRinging is the bells is not without danger: protection is needed, to prefend damage to the ears, even in monastic life!dscn7049-large

dscn6953-trapeza-2-large                    dscn6952-trapeza-large

Time for a good meal in the basement of the church.

Wim, 21/9

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2 Responses to 1849 – Skiti Andreou: a walk around the main church

  1. Bertinos says:

    The first text is in pre-revolutionary Russian alphabet and Greek numerals, which transliterate as “Благословением и судьбами Божия По овидения храм сей заложен совственноручно Его Императорским высочеством великим Князем Алексеем Александровичем в ͵αωξζ Году Июня Ϛ’ ”
    According to Translate.google, this means something like:
    “By the grace of God […], I, His Imperial Highness Grand Duke [=Grootvorst] Alexei Alexandrovich, laid the first stone of this Church on June 6, 1867”.

    The second text translitterates as: “Божиим блогословением начася здаться храм сей о сего места в управление Д/го Настоятеля Скита Иеромонаха о[т]ца Иосифа с братиею о Хр[ис]те Мая κ ͵αωϞ года” and should mean something like “Gods grace began inhabit [??] this Church at this place during the administration of [this] Holy Skete by Hieromonk Father Iosif/Joseph with his brothers in Christ, on May 20, 1893”

    The tomb belongs to a certain Hegumen (=Abbot) Hieromonachos Vissarion/Bessarion.

  2. alex says:

    Hieroschemamonk Vissarion is the founder of the Skete of Saint Andrew.

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