A Visit to the Ioannis Theologos Monastery

Spectacular views from the peaceful grounds of this well-kept, 11th century Orthodox monastery in Athens. Most monasteries are far from urban areas and this one was...in the 11th century! That is the Acropolis on the right overlooking the city.

you can see the port in the distance

This was truly a treat. We had a personal tour with our prof around the monastery, past the nun's cells, through the grounds, and into their small, but ultra-clean and compact church. The frescos are fairly new (19th century!) and I was absolutely amazed at the vibrant colors. This is how ALL frescos look when they are younger; we have been seeing so many older churches and monasteries, we had no idea what they were 'supposed' to look like!

in the highest dome, Jesus is the King of the Universe - that particular fresco is original

an ascetic saint is pictured along with the others - saints are extremely important
to Orthodox Christians

Jesus and the seven angels depicted in the book of Revelation; this church is
named after John the Theologian, author of the prophetic and last book in the Canon

Forgive me if I went a little overboard on the photos, but the artwork was exquisite, and the colors were fantastic!

This monastery, like so many other Orthodox churches and monasteries, are built atop the ruins of pagan temples and/or sanctuaries. Above, you can see a (blurry) pic of a Roman column they incorporated into the architecture of the church.

We were then escorted to where the nuns gather for meals and treated to a conversation with one of the nuns, Nun Nektari (I know I am slaughtering her beautiful name). She was the sweetest soul, and patiently answered all our questions and comments. She had some words of wisdom for us, and then insisted  we eat some of the best loukoumi I have had yet, along with some other treats.

This really was an enjoyable class field trip with my favorite prof, Dr. Despina Iosif.