Let’s continue my photo essay about Koutloumousiou, which I started in post 1903. Today we will walk around the outer walls and we will have a look inside the courtyard.

Here is plan of the monasery (made in 2000) and places where I shot the pictures (with a Nikon S9900 with GPS). We will start at the red A, the entrance the monastery.The entrance A (Δ1 on the map)This is the South wall, photographed at spot B (building M on the plan above, the former cellar). Number H 1 means: a burned wing.At the corner of the South wall and West wall (spot C / building M 1 and 2 on the plan, once the wine and oil cellar, and the guesthouse Z 2).  When turning to the West, building T appears, a worker’s house.The West wing of the monastery, seen from above, from building M5 (a general storage) and T (spot D). A detail of the general storage, building M5, build in 1934.The defence tower, building E, in the North/West corner.Near that spot at D, the water reservoir. 

In 2015 I forgot to photograph the North wall, so here are some from my archive from 1989:Large cracks in the North wall of Koutloumousiou in 1989.This is one of the oldest drawings of the monastery, made by Barsky in 1744.

Now let’s have a look in the courtyard:The entrance (Δ), with a wall of the exo-narthex of the katholicon on the right. Above the gate the wing of cells (H).The entrance and main church, with the fountain B on the left.A place to relax for guests: you will find this room directly after entering the gate/ courtyard on your right hand.A ‘timetable’ for services in the church: they shift in time during the year.The fountain and church, seen from Λ (the laundry).The katholicon and the West wing, the guesthouse (Z 2).Seen from the guesthouse: the church, the fountain and the trapeza (Γ). Here you can see that a new marble fountain or phiale was erected after the making of the plan by Mylonas in 2000 (at spot B 2).The new phiale in the courtyardNext to the phiale: the entrance to the trapeza, the refectory. We were lucky because normally the non-orthodox pilgrims are NOT allowed to enter this building, but on this occasion we could eat there because the small room for the non-orthodox was being renovated. The door to the trapeza, with two archangels, Michael and Gabriel, nicely carved in wood. Above the door, the Panaghia, the Christ and the Prodromos. Look at the high quality of this wall new painting. While eating our meal in the trapeza we realized that the complete interior of the refectory is recently painted in this ashtonishing and supurb quality! Unfortunately I was not allowed to make pictures inside, but what I saw absolutely one of the best wall paintings I ever saw on the Holy Mountain!A detail of the painting above the door.

Next time I will share some pictures of the interior of the church and some details in the courtyard. The next blog will finish my photo-essays about the pilgrimage in 2015.

On the 8th of May 2017 we will return to the Holy Mountain for our next pilgrimage, for me it is the 11th visit. My brother Herman and his group (with Bas Kamps) have the following plan:  watertaxi to Thibais-Esfigmenou, Esfigmenou- Maroudá, -taxi to Lavra, Lavra- Nea Skiti. 

We will visit Maroudá, Vatopedi, Chilandar (thanks to Vlad from Pemptousia) and Stavronikita.

Wim, 3/5/17