November 2007 – January 2008

The great spiritual rays of Mount Athos, it’s impressive natural environment, the groups of monasteries with Byzantine and post-Byzantine architecture, the works of art, such as the frescoes, mosaics, the icons, treasures, the Byzantine typikon and the everyday life of the monks are imprinted in an impressive way in a work of art by Greek and foreign travelers and pilgrims, painters, photographers, and architects who have visited Mount Athos during the last five hundred years.

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More than 200 travelers, scientists, artists and pilgrims have already been indexed by a broad piece of research carried out in libraries, archives, personal collections, museums, etc by the Mount Athos Center and its collaborators and research affiliates.

Recorded, in an elegant way, are the various motives, the acquaintance with Orthodox Monasticism of the East, an authentic pilgrimage, the natural environment, the research of libraries, the quest for manuscripts and, of course, the efforts and strategic plans hidden therein. 
This research, which comprised the heart of the program, shaped the terms and the content of the three actions of this program: Exhibit, two-day conference and publication.

 

THE EXHIBIT

The exhibit that the Mount Athos Center organized in the Nedelkos building opened on Monday, November 19, 2007 by the Mayor of Thessaloniki and President of the Legislative Council of the Mount Athos Center, Mr. Vasilis Papageorgopoulos, the presence of the official Representatives of Mount Athos, the leaders of the city and the public.  Works of Greek and foreign artists were presented, like those of  Papaloukas, Polikleitos Rengos, Likourgos Kogevina, Efimov, Ghe, Birman, Mozin, Hubert, the well-known photographers Fred Bouassona, Georgos Lambakis, Gabriel Mille, photographers Pase and Couville from the Alber Kan institute, Ali Sami, etchings and drawings of Didron, Teve, Anri Didon.

In a special area of the exhibit an important and interest segment on travel philology publications from the libraries of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the Institute of Macedonian Studies, I.M.X.A, the collection of the Mount Athos Center and private property owned books were presented. 
In its entirety the exhibit narrated the journey of the travelers over the five centuries in four units:

1. The Journey and the Arrival at Athos

Mount Athos during the last five centuries existed as a destination for travelers of different nationalities, ages and professions, of which the expectations and aims of visitation varied.  Alone, or accompanied by friends, relatives, or fellow travelers they visited the Athonite peninsula and stayed for different lengths of time.

Coming from Thessaloniki, Constantinople and other centers of the Northern Aegean they arrived on Mount Athos and landed at the harbor of Daphne, where they frequently spent their first night.  Continuing on they set out toward Karyes, the judicial center of Mount Athos, where they visited, for reasons of protocol, the Ottoman judge, the Kaimakamis, and the Holy Supervisory Board, the Council of Representatives of the Athonite Monasteries, presenting the recommendation letters that they had brought with them so that they could receive proper hospitality and accomplish their goals.

A trip of many hours with animals and small boats was the way they traveled during their visit to the Monasteries, Sketes and Cells of Athos.

The travelers’ experiences comprised the topics that are illustrated in their etchings and wood carvings and imprinted in the photographs, which adorn their diaries and demonstrate the differences and similarities in their points of view.

2. Everyday Life-Worship

The life of the monks on the Holy Mountain comprises a different world from that of the travelers.  During their stay on Athos they observe the everyday work and prayer cycle of the monks, which is characterized by an austere schedule and discipline.

The everyday practice of manual labor and participation in worship provokes the curiosity of the travelers who sketch and photograph the long hours of occupation in the farm work, the everyday tasks such as cooking and cleaning etc., prayer and the monk’s participation in worship and liturgical service.

We observe that gradually, as the stories of travelers mount with the passage of time, descriptions as well as portrayals of the place, countenances, rituals and everyday tasks of the monks are represented with greater faithfulness.

3. Pictorial and Architectural Impressions

The ornate architecture and the size of the monasteries of the Holy Mountain exist as one of the many elements that impressed the travelers who arrived on Athos.  Their stay in these monasteries is described in the notes that they kept in their travel diaries and are imprinted in their etchings and photographs that illustrate their written texts.

It is observed that the largest part of these illustrations is dedicated to the architecture of the monasteries.  Different views of the monastery groups are shown emphasizing the unique architecture of each one: architectural sketches from a distance, panoramic photographic renderings, sections from the monasteries’ facades both external and internal, as well as a number of characteristic details, such as the domes of the Churches (Katholika), the multi-floored wings of the monks’ cells, the towers, jetties, belfries, and phialae etc.

The existence of human faces in the older miniature sketches, anonymous and small, is replaced by the photographs of the existence of specific people who are portrayed in larger scale.  These faces enliven and animate the rendered space without taking away from their surroundings.  The place of the monastery continues to preserve its priority and to create the special atmosphere that its foreign visitors tasted.

4. The art

The art of the Holy Mountain comprises one of the reasons for travelers to journey to the Athonite peninsula.  It contains a wealth of artistic treasures that are characterized by the variety and comprise an enormous corpus of frescoes, a great collection of portable icons, mosaic representations, miniature manuscript illustrations, wood-carved iconostases, ornate marble reliefs, ivory finishes and coating, exceptional examples of intricate miniature art, ceremonial vessels and garb, masterful golden jewels, gold embroidered epitaphios from famous embroiderers and luxurious vestments.

This artistic wealth, along with its high quality, was guarded and protected in the treasure safes located in the churches, chapels and reception buildings of the monasteries.  Only a small part of it became known to the travelers and because of this there are few portrayals in their travel journals.  There are sketches and etchings which illustrate crosses, reliquaries, frescoes and photographs which display miniature illustrated Gospel books and wood-carved items that show in part what the travelers encountered during their visit to Mount Athos.  Also not absent are the research-works composed and published by scientists who visited the Holy Mountain with the goal of studying the Athonite art and its projection and sharing it with the rest of the world.
 

Contributors

Organization-Coordination:
Dimitrios Salpistis, Special Advisor to the Mount Athos Center

Care for the Exhibit:
Mirka Palioura, Art Historian
Anastasios Douros, Officer of Cultural Activities for the Mount Athos Center

Scientific Research:
Mirka Palioura, Art Historian
Paschalis Androudis, Archaeologist
Anastasia Giogi, Archaeologist