Ossios Loukas Monastery

Hosios Loukas (Greek: Ὅσιος Λουκᾶς) is a historic walled monastery situated near the town of Distomo, in Boeotia, Greece. It is one of the most important monuments of Middle Byzantine architecture and art, and has been listed on UNESCO's World Heritage Sites, along with the monasteries of Nea Moni and Daphnion.

The monastery of Hosios Loukas is situated at a scenic site on the slopes of Mount Helicon. It was founded in the early 10th century AD by the hermit, Venerable (Greek: Hosios) St. Luke (Greek: Lukas), whose relics are kept in the monastery to this day. The hermit (not the Evangelist of the Gospel of Saint Luke, but a hermit who died on 7 February 953) was famous for having predicted the conquest of Crete by Emperor Romanos. It was unclear if he was referring to Romanos I, the emperor at the time. However the island was actually reconquered by Nicephorus Phocas under Romanos II. It is believed that it was during the latter's reign (959-963) that the Church of the Theotokos (Panagia) was constructed. The main shrine of the monastery is the tomb of St. Luke, originally situated in the vault, but later placed at the juncture of the two churches. The monastery derived its wealth (including funds required for construction) from the fact that the relics of St. Luke were said to have exuded myron, a sort of perfumed oil which produced healing miracles. Pilgrims hoping for miraculous help were encouraged to sleep by the side of the tomb in order to be healed by incubation. The mosaics around the tomb represent not only St. Luke himself, but also hegumen Philotheos offering a likeness of the newly built church to the saint.

liturgical books for prayers and chants - no instruments in an Orthodox Church, or monastery

Byzantine architecture and decor/design is amazing!

Hosios Loukas is the largest of three monasteries surviving from the Middle Byzantine period in Greece. It differs from the Daphnion and Nea Moni in that it is dedicated to a single military saint. St. Lukes' prophecy about the reconquest of Crete is commemorated by the image of Joshua on the exterior wall of the Panagia church: Joshua was considered a model "warrior of the faith", whose help was especially effective in the wars waged against the Arabs. The Katholikon contains the best preserved complex of mosaics from the period of the Macedonian Renaissance. However, the complex is not complete: the original image of Christ Pantocrator inside the dome is missing, as are the figures of archangels normally placed between the upper windows. There is evidence that the monastery was reputed all over Byzantium for its lavish decoration, liberally applied to all surfaces. Apart from revetment, carving, gold and silver plate, murals, and mosaics (especially imposing on curving surfaces), the interior featured a choice assortment of icons, chandeliers, silk curtains, and altar cloths. Only a fraction of these items are still in situ, most notably colored marble facings and window grilles. Notwithstanding the losses, the Katholikon "gives the best impression available anywhere today of the character of a church interior in the first centuries after the end of Iconoclasm". ~wiki

originally, these mosaics had semi-precious gems for color, however now they are painted

Jesus washes the feet of his disciples in one scene, and the crucifixion in another

Jesus defeating death, breaking the gates of Hades, releasing Adam and Eve (to the right),
with Constantine and his queen to the left.

Relics: St. Luke himself is under the church, according to my professor. St. Barbara is on display for veneration and supplication, as well. I asked if there were any other relics here, but was told no.

St. Barbara (complete) - these relics are extremely important to Orthodox Christians;
they are believed to not decay in death, and emit a sweet smell - it is very much
believed that they also can mediate needs to G-d and facilitate miracles on behalf
of those who venerate her

"The catholicon is built over a large crypt, shaped as a cross-in-square church, with groin vaults forming the roof. It is dedicated to Aghia Varvara (St. Barbara) and contains three tombs: the one in the north wall is the tomb of Hossios Loucas. The roof and much of the walls are covered with wall paintings, dated to the first half of the 11th century." ~http://odysseus.culture.gr/

When we arrived, the sky had opened up and absolutely poured on us. By the time we entered the monastery, we were all soaked. We enjoyed the presentations and information given, but were not able to fully appreciate the exterior architecture due to the weather. (I have never heard such intense thunder in my life.) Also, I must say, that even though a handful of monks live on-site, this felt more like a touristy stop. Their little gift shop was disappointing, with manufactured icons and such. I much preferred the hand-made items at the monastery at Mistra, with the sweet nuns there.

"Our class discussion on monasteries was a timely one, as we visited the Ossios Loukas Monastery on our way to Delphi last Friday. There were three groups of students with three different professors, and frankly I wanted to hear what all of them had to say! I gleaned a few interesting tidbits from each of them, but mostly I was interested in was how it felt. I noticed immediately that it felt markedly different from the Pantanassa's Monastery that we visited when we climbed Mystra during our Peloponnese field trip a few weeks ago.

We were told less than a handful of monks live at the Ossios Loukas Monastery, and when I entered the Church, it didn’t feel like there had been service there for a long time (although I know that may not be the case). The absence of chairs for the faithful and carpet on the floor made me think that this Church was mostly used for student groups and tourists. It was fabulous to see the relic of St. Barbara, although some of the other students were a little disturbed by her presence. I stayed behind close to the relic to see if I could detect anything similar to a sweet smell denoting a saint, but with so many people going through there, and the candle burning close by, I was unable to smell anything I would classify as a saintly odor. I was rather disappointed, honestly.

We were also told that St. Luke, as he was called, is under the Church. I did inquire if there were other relics on-site, but was told no. As we explored further, we were told about the beautiful artwork and the scenes depicted - we were appropriately awed by the age of everything. Who wouldn’t be? I have to say that I was rather disappointed with the gift shop we were invited to see, however; it seemed that all the things were manufactured or imported for the tourists. I didn’t look too far into the section of the shop that had food items – I am not sure if those items are produced on-site or not. This was not the case at Pantanassa’s Monastery on Mystra.

That monastery had the sweetest spirit about it. As we walked up, one of the nuns was working in the garden and was very welcoming in her reserved demeanor. I was thrilled after studying so much about ascetics last semester – I finally was in a real monastery, not just reading about them! As we continued, we were told that their Church was undergoing restoration; even so, they still hold Divine Service in that little Church. We were allowed to enter and take some photographs. What a treat! After, the head mother met us and invited us to their little gift shop, as it were. It was just a room where they had laid out some of the things they had made, along with Turkish Delight (I’m still a little unsure whether I actually like this confection or not, but it was so nice of them to offer if to us). I couldn’t have been more eager to purchase something from such a sweet place, if only to show my respect for their dedication and way of life. This is more of what I expected from visiting a monastery, not at all like the touristy-feel at Ossios Loukas.

If the Ossios Loukas Monastery would have felt different to me spiritually, no amount of rain would have dampened my spirits nor my visit. As it was, the intense downpour and thunderstorm made our walk through the grounds similar to walking upstream in an overfull creek. In the end, I am glad we got to stop; my companion got some really interesting photos of 11^th century Byzantine art, as well as getting a good, long look at a relic. Unfortunately, and to my complete surprise, my camera mysteriously erased all my photos from inside the Church.  I chalked it up to St. Barbara not wanting her photo taken." 

~a reflection written for my Eastern Orthodox Church class