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Published: April 30th 2013
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Ekatonapyliani
Paros historic Orthodox church We started the day with two hours of lectures at 8:30 this morning – not as onerous as expected, although I hadn’t slept too well. I may be allergic to the fabric softener in the bed linens or may be developing the cold going the rounds. The lectures continued Greek history through the Hellenic period.
At 10:30 we set off for town for a guided visit to the cathedral. Services were still going on. In the courtyard Kriton gave a completely different history of the cathedral than Jeffrey, our lecturer – and a more believable one. The baptistery and part of the altar are about second century A.D. The church originally was built by Justinian to fulfill a promise made by Hellen, mother of Constantine. The church was made rubble at various times by invasions and earthquakes and was rebuilt in various years, the latest being the 1950s, still part of the restoration after the circa 1700
earthquake. For example, the mosaics of angels on the four pillars of the transept are modern, created from old mosaic tiles and stones. They left the holes made by the Turks, which they used to help adhere the plaster that blotted out Christian
Cantors
Church in Paros is not a solitary activity symbols when it was (temporarily) a mosque.
The very old baptistery features a cross-shaped full-immersion tub for the baptizing of adults, as once was the tradition. Otherwise, it is quite bare, although we recognized the theme for this day’s tour – using rubble from one building to make the next.
Since the service was still going on in the main part of the church, we did the town tour next. Mostly this consisted of walking through twisting streets to the section of the old Venetian wall that remains, and to the near-by Frankish castle, which is very obviously made from bits of other buildings in a way that reminded me of Meccano. Particularly odd are slices of columns stacked into the walls. Kriton says they had to “put it up in a hurry”. Perhaps.
Winding our way back, we found the church virtually empty. Kriton led us through the various ages of the building and explained the religious significance of each part of a typical Greek Orthodox church. He helped us understand icons, particularly why only their eyes are lifelike, i.e., they are looking at us in the real world and the picture is only a representation
Lefkes Cathedral
Beyond the reach of pirates of their bodies for our (human) benefit.
Next we drove to Naussos town, a picturesque fishing and tourist town. Our lunch was great: grilled octopus (very tender), Greek salad, tzatziki, squid, little fishes, fried eggplant and zucchini slices. Dessert was the almond semolina cake. Then we had free time to wander over to the remaining bit of Venetian “castle” and through the streets. Shops were closed, although a few people milled about to have their Easter dinner.
Back on the bus, we drove to Lefkes town – reminded me of Banff. It is back in the hills, originally the capital and built to avoid attracting the attention of the once pirates.
After a short wander, we drove on to the site of an ancient marble quarry, and a slightly more recent one. Basically it is all mined out now. The two quarries contrasted starkly because the ancient sites were underground mines, whereas for a long time now marble has been “sliced out” of the mountainside. We picked up souvenirs of this special Parian marble, which is translucent.
At the hotel, had a bit of a rest, then went to the “Ouzo Party”, which consisted of a
Dancing demonstration
The other guests in the hotel enjoyed the dancing too. drink of ouzo with ice and water, and some appetizers. Plus, Greek dancing, both demonstration and participation. I was an eager participant, mainly because I think it is silly to come so far only to sit on the sidelines. Probably my Regency dancing gave me some confidence, and indeed some of the steps are similar. After about an hour of dancing, in which the Greek hotel guests participated – a nice joining of cultures - we had dinner. Rather indifferent buffet, but they were very kind in bringing me a deliciously sweet orange to substitute for yogurt.
1773 (
http://www.ekatontapyliani.org/part3/orthodox-temple.html )
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Isabel Gibson
non-member comment
Bits of buildings
Interesting to have a theme - whether planned or serendipitous - in your sights seen. I don't suppose there would be many such buildings (built of other bits) in western Canada, at least - the Maritimes might be another matter. I wonder whether immigrants from such places feel liberated or a bit lost when they hit our history-light shores.