Erica: Osios Loukas

As soon as I stepped off of the bus when we arrived at Osios Loukas, I was overcome by the most gorgeous scenery that almost looked like a backdrop.  The landscape was full of different patches of land that almost seemed organized: groves of olive trees, patches of flowers, squares of land reserved for crop harvesting and of course numerous hills and mountains in the background.

However, the natural aesthetic wasn’t only contained to the outlying regions of Osios Loukas, it was incorporated into the monastery itself, both literally and in the surrounding areas around the buildings.  There are trees and plants with plenty of wild life inhabiting these areas.  Birds’ song filled the air and it felt like we were about to embark on a wilderness walk as opposed to entering the monastery.  It wasn’t long until we were standing right outside of the monastery buildings when Jeff explained how part of the Byzantine style was to incorporate nature into their art and buildings.  There were flower patterns, knots, stars, leaves and even some animals in the architecture both inside and outside of the churches.  The whole concept and the environment that the monastery is located in brings the idea of having a more naturalistic outlook full circle.

Once we were in the monastery it was interesting to see the stark contrasts between the newer and older ones.  When you first enter the newer monastery, you immediately look to the ceilings because of an overwhelmingly beautiful gold sheen, due to the sunlight bouncing off of the mosaic tiles that cover the entire ceiling.  They are formed into pictures and scenes from biblical stories.  They follow a typical Byzantine style in that at the top in the dome of the ceiling, the holiest members are depicted, followed by saints and continuing all the way down the wall until it reaches the floor, where people of modern day are standing in the middle, making the continuum of heaven and earth an easier concept to grasp.  When traveling from the new monastery to the old one, you first encounter the most recent tomb of St. Loukas, which is clear so you can see into it.  St. Loukas’s actual hand is exposed for your viewing pleasure.  The hand is black and decayed and brings another layer and meaning to the concept of the “natural” feeling of the scenery and architecture.  Seeing something so old from a saint from the year 950 is something that is unfathomable and, to be honest, I was a little bewildered how I could be so close to something of that nature.


We then actually entered the old monastery and I was immediately taken aback by not being overcome by gold mosaics, but simply bricks and stone.  There were no mosaics at all and barely any paintings on the wall.  This contrast physically shows the progression of the artistic movement, partially because of expense, but also due to artistic preference and available materials.  However, no matter what medium, the same sense of which scenes were displayed in both the new and the old were the same, keeping the Byzantine feeling true throughout.

New Monastery

Old Monastery

We also discussed some other details regarding the church and some of the saints they believed in.  One thing Jeff mentioned that I particularly remember was when he was talking about the two chanters that would stand towards the front.  These positions were almost always held by men and they would lead the group in monotone chanting, but everyone would still read along with them.  While there are some similarities between Judaism and the synagogue, such as the holiest of things and scriptures being at the very front of the temple / church where only priests or rabbis are allowed, this particular comment about the chanters is much different.  In what I know from my brief time attending Sunday school at a synagogue, there is typically one canter, usually a female, who leads and also sings by herself but in very vocalized manner so that she stands out.  I found this difference interesting, since there are a lot of things that are similar between the two religions in some ways.  I also really enjoyed seeing the different depictions of all of the different saints and all of the stories behind them: what they are known for, their oddities, why we worship them, etc.  It gives meaning behind the familiar names and also behind why they are depicted as often as they are.

Overall, the visit to Osios Loukas was eye opening, not only because we saw the very old, decaying hand of St. Loukas, but also because of the architecture, art work, and stories behind all of the religious figures.  I definitely learned a lot in terms of appreciation for different religions and the art work that goes along with them.