Lavra is the oldest and biggest monastery on The Holy Mountain. The monastery has a large courtyard with all kinds of hidden spots where objects from the past are stored as if it were an open air museum.

The pre-Christian marble artefacts are not nicely stored as in an museum but left a corner of the courtyard for the pilgrims to admire.

All the objects have their own story. How much prints did this old printing press has produced over the decades?

But the most fascinating objects are, to me, these rusty old cannons somewhere hidden in a remote corner of the monastery. When they ever used? Did they stick out the walls pointed at the enemy? Or was it merely to frigthen potential attackers?

If you can believe what is shown on this 18th or 19th century engraving of Lavra the cannons were placed in the Byzantine towers situated near the entrance of the monastery.

If we zoom in on the print, you see that the cannons are actually firing, there is smoke coming out of the barrels. Reality or just an artist’s impression?

Fortunately the cannons are now silent and useless in a corner covered with a thick layer of rust.

Herman Voogd