I have encountered travelers either moved to tears by, or incapable of putting into words their feeling about, this incredible site.
Delphi
settlement, the Church of the The shaded and cool interiors of Theotokos, is the only church in all both churches give visitors the of Greece confirmed to have been opportunity to comprehend the built during the Tenth Century. A enormous work that the ancient larger church, the Katholikon, is the monks and artists put into this holy first octagon and pillared church place. Air, perfumed by incense, Byzantine church built in Greece. the odor of burning candle wax,( 11 th Century A. D.) the shuffle of shoes and sandals on Mosaics, incredible in beauty centuries-worn stone all adds to the and scale, fill the interior of timelessness of this place. both churches. Frescoes of saints What a welcome and moving way were added to some of the walls to encounter more of the true Greek beginning in the 12 th Century. culture.
I have encountered travelers either moved to tears by, or incapable of putting into words their feeling about, this incredible site.
Hosios Loukas – Burial of Christ, Woman at Tomb
On a hot summer day last year, the hum of insects melded with the soft stir of leaves in the trees that surround the monastery. One of the monks, whose face was barely visible save for a long gray beard and dressed head to foot in a long black robe, moved between buildings with some purpose. I remember wondering what appointment pulled at him so urgently in such a place of peace.
For those who wish to visit the monastery, please see below for further links and information.
From Hosios Loukas it is about forty minutes’ drive to the place revered by ancient Greeks as the birthplace of the world: Delphi.
My first visit to Delphi several years ago was accompanied by indescribable excitement. All of my life I had read about the Greek Gods, of the Oracle, of the Temples of Apollo … and here I was in the shadow of Mount Parnassus, standing at the foot of the Temple of Athena below the ruins of the city. Repeated visits to the site have only served to further deepen my reverence and respect for this beautiful place.
Absent detailed and scholarly study of the archaeological site, I have always found Delphi to be a place of reflection. This is, for the uninitiated traveler, one of the few places where history truly unfolds before your eyes.
As visitors either walk, or drive,
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