Ouranoupolis harbour today, to strong southern winds for boats
Update15/4: the lock-down is extended until the 19th of May 2021
update: new extention of the lock-down on the 9st of March: until the 31 th of March 2021!
update: new extention of the lock-down on the 1st of March: until the 15 th of March2021!
The monastic community of Mount Athos announced on Friday it will extend a ban on visitors or pilgrims until February 28, as part of measures against the coronavirus pandemic.
Additionally, staff or other essential visitors will be tested for the coronavirus at all entry ports to Mt. Athos.
The community has remained closed to visitors since November 10, 2020, while Greece is currently observing a nationwide lockdown since November 7. (source: Ekathimerini)
It will take some time before arriving in Dafni again
Athosweblogger Bas Kamps photographed not only several trees when he visited Mount Athos but also back in The Netherlands trees is often his topic. He recently made a website with his photography.
tree with cross, Nilos chapel
Nilos chapel is located on the south slope of the mountain. Through the branches the path to Kavsokalivia is visible.
Judas tree in Karyes.
The purple flowers of the Judas tree above the roofs of the Karyes houses.
cypress in front of the protaton
Cypresses on Mt. Athos are indicating that habitation is not far away. This is the central spot of the peninsula, with the Protaton church, the belltower and the building with the stairs of the Epistasis.
tree near Koutloumousiou
As in the previous image, it was a foggy day in Karyes in 2019. This is near the monastery of Koutloumousiou.
The first thing you see when you arrive by boat at the arsanas (harbour) of Simonos Petras is the mediaeval tower with a boathouse attached to it. The path towards the monastery, 300 meters up, starts just behind the boathouse.
Villa on the right
Right from the path there is – for Athonian standards – an atypical building. It looks a bit like a Mediterranean villa from the fifties, with a veranda and porches. This is how it looked like in 2013. In 2019 we had to wait for the ferry for quite a long time. It was time well spent by wondering around the arsanas.
The boathouse had been restored between 2013 and 2019. There is a clear difference in the thick layers of grout they added. But the villa was still left to the elements. It was still as deserted as in 2011 and the situation has not been improved. I decided to take a closer look.
It is a peculiar building with its pink walls and yellow ceiling. Iron is used as a material for the windows, the door and the fence. The plaster is coming down from the ceiling.
One of the main columns completely stopped supporting the ceiling. There seems to be a serious problem with concrete rot, probably caused by rusting iron. A grape, unaware of it all, is finding its way up via the iron fence.
A closer look at the ceiling. The missing pillar could become a problem for the structure, in due time it might collapse, for instance caused by another earthquake, which are frequent in the eastern Mediterranean.
Shoots of grape try to find their way on the crumbling terrazzo floor and through the rusting fencing.
This kitten was the only living creature around the house. The open bricks show how relatively new this building is. Has anyone an idea about the history of the building and inhabitants? Was it perhaps a kind of administrative building, an office or a shop for religious souvenirs?
Greek artist, Markos Kampanis who made the large mural at the entrance of Vatopedi monastery have made two new paintings on wood for the new building of the (non-religious) Administration of Mount Athos in Karyes. The artworks will be placed this year.
Athos, 2020
A complete, detailed view of the peninsula by Kampanis in the style of the traditional prints that are made of Agion Oros.
Konakis in Karyes with on the right the building of the Epistasia, 2020detail Konakis, Karyes, 2020
Each monastery has a delegation house in the capital Karyes, called konakis. Here the 20 konakis with in the middle the Protaton church and tower.
We left Simonos Petras early in the morning to take the ferry. We had plenty of time. We only had to walk down the wonderful path 300 meters to the arsanas. I decided to take pictures of all the spring flowers I saw during the stroll. All the flowers was a bit overambitious, I found out soon enough, but I managed to take plenty of detailed close-up pictures. I will show most of them in this blog. I’m not an expert on the flora, and certainly not on the Greek flora, but I tried to find out the Latin and English names of the flowers. If anyone has a better suggestion, please let me know. Anyway, for me, the wonder about the variety of shapes and colours is the most important aspect. On this path the garden of Mary can be venerated.
hyacinth
tassel hyacinth (muscari comosum)
wild raddish
Wild Raddish (Raphanus raphanistrum)
large Venus’s-looking-glass
large Venus’s-looking-glass (legousia speculum-veneris)
judas tree
An blossoming tree, probably a Judas tree (Cercis siliquastrum).
Oriental Salsify
A yellow solitary flower called an Oriental Salsify (tragopogon pratensis subsp. Orientalis)
Common mallow
Common mallow (Malva sylvestris)
irisIris from Flora Graeca
Iris (Iris Germanica). And a screenshot taken from an iris taken out of the Flora Graeca by John Sibthorp (1758-1796). The Flora Graeca consists of ten volumes that were published between 1806-1840.
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam: contact sheet nr 5
This post is the last in a series of five, with an overview of the pictures Cas Oorthuys made during his short visit to the Holy Mountain in July 1957. The source of the more than 800 copies of his photographs is from the Nederlands fotomuseum in Rotterdam (source). The photographer and his fellow pilgrim A. den Doolaard spend their last night in the russian monastery Panteleimonos.
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
The main church – katholicon – of Panteleimonos in 1957.
The katholicon of Panteleimonos in 2017 photo Wim Voogdsource: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
The arsanas of Panteleimonos, in those days sailing ships were still moored.
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
This large building outside the monastery walls, is the archondariki. Here the building is still intact. A few years later the left part of building was destroyed by fire: only the outher walls remained.
Panteleimonos in 1986 – most of the archondariki is in ruins (photo Wim Voogd)source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
Arsanas Panteleimonos
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
The archondariki and the monastery Panteleimonos
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
Arsanas Sografou: one of the most pitoreque places on the Holy Mountain. Next to boathouse is a traditional defense tower, which has the appearance of medieval times when pirats and crusaders made the peninsula unsafe.
arsanas Sografou in 2007 – photo Wim Voogd
Even though renovation work has taken place in 2007, the location kept its original atmosphere.
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
Ouranopolis (called Prosphori in 1957): The pyrgos tower of Joice and Sydney Loch. Sydney Loch died a three years earlier , on the 6th of February 1954, when trying to save a pelican in a winter storm. His book “Athos The Holy Mountain” was published in 1957.
Ouranopolis in 1980 with Pieter Voorn – photo Wim Voogd
At that time in 1980 Joice Loch still lived in the tower. She died in 1982. Renovation work is underway.
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
The jetty of Ouranopolis: boys swimming
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
The beach seen from the jetty in Ouranopolis: a group welcomes the returning pilgrims, at that time probably still a special feature.
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
Kids on the beach in front of the pyrgos tower.
The tower in 2017 – photo Wim Voogd
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
The pilgrims in the bus to Ierissos/Stratoni. Cas Oorthuys and A. den Doolaard did not stay in Ouranopolis, probably because there were no hotels in town in 1957. They went back to Ierissos and enjoyed a good meal and a good night sleep!
Ouranopolis main street along the beach – photo of unknown date
This ends the publication of a small part of the Cas Oorthuys collection from the Dutch Photo museum. I know that much more content is available and I hope to get permission the share the other photos with you somewhere in the near future.
The writer A. den Doolaard ended his musings on Athos as follows at the end of his book “Greeks are no gods”:
“Orthodox monasticism was a tough, old body in which the red blood cells no longer renewed.”
The answer to these thoughts from the Dutch writer by the guide Asterios was: “Do not forget that the monasteries have been here for a thousand years and during that time there have been more periods of decline.” “I’ve been coming to Athos for so long,” he laughed, “that I’ve been infected with it. Ten thousand monks or two thousand, does that make any real difference? Can you foresee what will happen after the year 2000 “?
Profetical words indeed! Asterios made a prediction that has almost completely come true. Athos has regained its appeal and is once again a powerful source of inspiration for so many.
We would like to thank all our readers for visiting our website this difficult year 2020. We are proud to have almost 107 K hits and 31 K visitors this year. As many others we had to postpone our planned 2020-pilgrimage and we hope that 2021 will bring better times for all of you. Stay safe and be friendly to everyone, regardless, race, color, gender, religion or conviction.
Wim Voogd, 31 December 2020 (also on behalf of Herman Voogd and Bas Kamps)
NB. For those who read Dutch texts: in the attachments below you will find three articles from the newspaper “Limburgsch Dagblad” from July and August 1957, where A. den Doolaard writes about his pilgrimage to Athos. The texts are from his book “Greeks are not gods” that was published in 1959.
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam: contact sheet nr 4
Originally Cas Oorthuys and A. den Doolaard planned to stay five days on the Holy Mountain. They wanted to stay a night over in Vatopedi, but because they arrived by boat from Ierissos they did not posses a Diamoniterion yet, so the abbot told them to move on and go to Karyes first, to collect the needed passport, the ‘permit to stay at monasteries’. Their hike to Karyes was not easy, because there was a heat wave with tempatures in the shadow of 45C. After they recieved their Diamoniterions they stayed the night in Karyes, I presume in the local hotel above the restaurant. In his book “Greeks are no gods” A. den Doolaard describes how they went to visit Koutloumousiou the next day, the monastery very near Karyes. But Cas Oorthuys does not have any photos of this monastery in his collection. I think A. den Doolaard mixed this monastery up with Xeropotamou, the monastery on the other side of the ridge of Karyes, near Dafni. Cas Oorthuys has photos of this monastery in his contact sheets (and also from Dafni). Later that day they took a boat from Dafni to Dionysiou, passing Simonos Petras and Grigoriou monasteries. The second night they slept in Dionysiou. The following day they took a boat back along the West coast of Athos, passing the monastire mentioned above and Dafni, ending up in Panteleimonos, where they slept the third night. The last day they took a boat passing Xenofontos and Docheiariou (see post 2186). The boat stopped at the tower of Sidney Loch at Phosfori, now Ouranopolis. From here they went back to Ierissos and enjoyed a good Greek meal.
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
The courtyard of Panteleimonos monastery (or Rossikó). On the right the Katholicon, left the bell tower and the phiale.
Panteleomonos: the katholicon, belfry and East wing 2017 – photo Jitze Bakkersource: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
The small church/chapel and the katholicon with two palm trees.
Panteleimonos 1980 – photo Wim Voogd
Almost the same spot in 1980: parts of the monastery were distroyed by fire.
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
Monks visiting Panteleimonos monastery with a group of pilgrims. A. den Doolaard discribes in his book that the “three dozen” monks, who lived here in 1957, were very old men. When I visited the monastery only 20 Russian (and a few Greek) monks survived….
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum RotterdamPanteleimonos 2009
The same spot in 2009. The monastery was almost completly renovated and rebuild that year, no ruins remained, except for some buildings outside the walls of the monastery. On the top floor the Dubble church is situated, where Cas Oorthuys also made pictures (not (yet) avialable for me).
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdamsource: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam – detail of the picture
According to me this is one of the most iconic photographs Cas Oorthuys made on Athos. The old monk in the trapeza of Panteleimonos symbolizes the sad situation in which they were. His eyes stare into nothing and clearly show the hopeless situation of that moment in time.
A. den Doolaard says in his book about the scene:
‘The meal was as simple as it was stylish, yet it doesn’t charm my heart; for all over Rossikó lay the melancholy of dying. The monastery was cut off from the tribal land, no novice passed through the gate, and the old monks died one by one’.
Two original photos from Cas Oorthuys of this dinner in the trapeza hang on a wall of my favorite Greek traiteur in Amsterdam, Romios. The (former) owner Marijke went to school with a daughter of Cas Oorthuys in Rotterdam and she got these originals as a gift.
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
more pictures of monks eating dinner in the trapeza of Panteleimonos.
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
This original also hangs on the wall in restaurant Romios, Ceintuurbaan 350 in Amsterdam.
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdamsource: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdamsource: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
An earthenware jug on the quay of arsanas Panteleimonos.
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam: contact print nr 3
The third contact print from the Cas Oorthuys files in the Dutch photo museum contains pictures of Simonos Petras and Docheiariou. He did not visit these monasteries, because photographs up close are missing. And on this contact print number 99027 I run into a chronological problem. The two monasteries are in fact far apart and between the monastery are the harbor town of Dafni, Xenofontos and the Russian monastery Panteleimonos situated. Cas Oorthuys did pay a visit to this Russian monastery, as we will see on the next contact print, that I will publish later. I suspect that Cas Oorthuys confused his travel schedule afterwards and that he accidentally pasted Docheiariou into his contact printout earlier.
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
Simonos Petras monastery, seen from the arsanas – harbor. This probably one of the finest monasteries on the Holy Mountain, that looms over the rocks on which it is built. Many people say this monastery resambles the Tibetian monasteries in the Himalaya.
Simonos Petras in 2009. The building on the right is recently constructed, it is part of the archondariki and contains the rooms for special guests – photos Wim Voogdsource: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum RotterdamSimonos Petras arsanas 2015 – foto Wim Voogd
The arsanas of Simonos Petras in 1957 and – by coincidence – my photo on the same spot, 58 years later.
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
Simonos Petras
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
The monastery of Docheiariou, seen from a boat. This is the last monastery that you will see from the baot before arriving in Ouranopolis. As you can see on the map below it is very far from Simonos Petras.
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
Docheiariou monastery in 1957.
Docheiariou in 1980 – photo Wim Voogd
When we visited this monastery in 1980 we were the only two pilgrims. We met a professor from Thessaloniki, who microfilmed the books from the library and gave us a tour in the old tower. I remember the age-old parchment covers and the pages that had tiny holes, made by the bookworms. One of the bound pages would be a page from a 4th century book.
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
Four fishermen in their boat at the harbor of Docheiariou, one of them drinking water from a bucket.
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
Docheiariou: another photo of the fishermen in their boat and the jetty.
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam: contact print nr 2
The second contact print from the Cas Oorthuys files in the Dutch photo museum contains pictures of Karyes, the Protaton church, and pictures of men (with the writer A. den Doolaard?) on the road with mules, probably going from Karyes to the monastery Xeropotamou.
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
Here is an image of the clock tower belonging to the Protaton church in Karyes, with a man pulling a loaded mule. In the background the building of the Holy Epistatia, the main seat of the government on Athos.
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
On this next picture, made on the same spot, you see that construction labor is being done on the outside walls of the Protaton. It looks as if the original stones of the outside walls of the church are being covered with a plaster, that was still there when I took the picture below in 1986.
The Protaton covered with a grey plaster – 1986 – photo Wim VoogdThe Protaton church in 2009: the grey plaster is already removed, but the dome that protected the church during the renovations is still there
During the last renovations of the Protaton, when the fundaments were also secured, all of this (ugly) grey plaster has been removed and the original stones reapeared, as you see on the picture above.
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
Xeropotamou monastery seen from above.
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
A large group of mules pass the pilgrims when they go to the next monastery, somewhere near Xeropotamou (?). Cas Oorthuys and his two fellow travelers had only one mule.
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
A monk passes by on his own mule.
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
The entrance to the monastery Xeropotamou with the mule of Cas Oorthuys (?). The pine trees on this picture are gone today.
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
Xeropotamou: the entrance with a monk
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
Xeropotamou: the pilgrims enter the monastery
Xeropotamou 2019 – Wim Voogdglass frame above the entrance door – 2019
The Xeropotamou entrance in 2019: almost nothing changed. The glass frame that protects the painting of the 40 martyrs above the door has been replaced by a modern one and the frames of the windows that have been slightly changed. The windows on the second floor are smaller and the color blue with some decorations were added on the wall. The pine trees has been cut down and vines have taken their place, just like the situation in 1928 (see postcard below).
Entrance to Xeropotamou in 1928 source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
Somewhere outside Xeropotamou (?): a man on a mule
source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
A man sitting on a fence, bare-chested. This photo must have been taken somewhere outside a monastery, because monks would not allow any half-naked men in their surroundings. It is unknown to me who this might be, maybe their guide Asterios Kyriasis? According to me this man does not resamble the writer mr. A. den Doolaard.
Already 12 years ago I expressed my wishes to show you more about the journey of one of the most famous Dutch photographers, Cas Oorthuys, to the Holy Mountain, together with the Dutch writer A. den Doolaard (link to my post about Ewing Galloway). They visited Athos four days – three nights in July 1957 together with their guide Asterios Kyriasis, who spoke French and a little English. The writer published his travel experiences in 1959 in his book “Greeks are not gods” (post 1531). In december 1959 two articles were published in the magazine “Katholieke Illustratie” with many photos of Cas Oorthuys, who lived from 1908-1975 (more in posts 636, 646, 649 and 652).
source: Nederlands foto museum Rotterdam: contact print nr 1
In 2018 my wishes to open the Oorthuys Athos photo collection finally came through: in that year the Dutch Photo museum in Rotterdam started the crowd sourcing project Captions for Cas: 33,649 sheets of contact prints were digitized (with 500.000 photos and slides!) and I provided the descriptions of the 72 contact prints (more than 800 pictures) he took in Thessaloniki, Chalkidiki and Athos. The huge job ended in October 2020 and now the entire project is made available to the public (look here). Recently I received the museum’s generous cooperation to publish five of these contact prints. The first one I chose to share with you are the twelve pictures from his visit to Vatopedi monastery (see the contact print above). Let’s have a closer look:
Source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
A monk walks on the road that leads from the arsanas up to the Vatopedi monastery.
Cas Oorthuys and A. den Doolaard started their Athos pilgrimage in Ierissos. Early in the morning they took a Greek diesel kaik from Ierissos to Vatopedi monastery, together with their guide and tow monks. Later they visited Karyes, Xeropotamou and Gregoriou and Dionysiou monastery. They ended his trip visiting Panteleimonos and went – along Dafni – back to Ouranopolis by boat. From the boat he made pictures from the monasteries Simonos Petras and Docheiariou.
Source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
The courtyard of Vatopedi with the katholicon on the left and the East wing on the right.
the same spot in 2013Source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
The belfry and clocktower in the courtyard of Vatopedi: in between them you can see the trapeza.
Both towers, seen from a different angle.Source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
A view from a gallery in the East wing.
the same spot in 2013Source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum RotterdamSource: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
These beautiful overviews are taken from the highest position in the West wing, where you can overlook the roofs and the chimneys.
The highest building in the West wing: aerial Vatopedi 2017 – Wim Voogd
The next two photos are from the interior of the trapeza (refter) of Vatopedi. As you can see on the picture below that I took 29 years later in 1986, the bottom of the tables were not painted blue yet. Nowadays the blue color is painted over again in white.
Source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum RotterdamSource: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
The blue bottoms of the tables in the trapeza: photo Wim Voogd – 1980
Source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
The entrance to Vatopedi with mules.
Source: Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands fotomuseum Rotterdam
The outside wall of the North wing of the monastery, where the archondariki – guesthouse is situated.
the same spot in 2013, but then seen from balcony.
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