Harakopio to Aghios Theodoros Monastery

28th January 2012

A small group of us enjoyed a fabulous walk today from Harakopio to Ag Theodoros Monastery, via Homatero and Falanthi. There was no rain, and the extreme cold that was forecast never really materialised – in fact we spent much of the walk removing jackets and fleeces….only to put them on again when the sun went back behind the clouds.

At Homatero, we paused to drink coffee in the kafeneon and collect the keys from the village Priest before heading for the Monastery.

We decided on a slight detour, in order to have a closer look at the huge, Palladian style building just outside Homatero.

This local resident wasn’t particularly impressed by either the round-house, or by us.

A first glimps of the ‘hidden’ Monastery….

We ate our lunch in the Monastery grounds, seeking out the few patches of sunlight that made it into the valley.

I felt priviliged to be able to view the inside of the buildings and peruse not only the old frescos, but also the local priest’s paintings.

One in particular caught my eye….and it took me a moment to realise that I was in fact looking at a photocopy of one of my own paintings of the Monastery! I had given a colour print of the painting to the Priest as a gift, back in October.

He has photocopied it and added in some of his own drawing – even including the bell tower (which is actually located in a different part of the building!)  plus some cypress trees and Greek text. I really quite like it, and admire his creativity and artistic thought processes.

Here’s my original painting:

It’s funny, as I’m often telling students to photocopy their drawings to re-use them in collage or other artwork. It’s a good way of experimenting with layout and medium, plus you get really good value out of your drawings! The priest, who’s never been to an art class in his life, does this quite naturally! Brilliant.

Here’s a few snaps taken inside the Monastery, showing some of the many frescos.

I recently bought a copy of a newly published book about the Monastery that’s available from the Church in Homatero for €10. Finally admitting that it’s well beyond the scope of my Greek, I’ve lent it to my Athenian neighbours in the hope that they can tell me something of the history of the Monastery!