A guard showed us around actually. Byzantine mosaics of Daphni Monastery, near Athens. Wait, what??! This is an UNESCO world heritage site. The church of the monastery is cross-type complex, octagonal, with a large dome, rate adopted their middle Byzantine times (843-1204). It was probably built on the site of the ancient temple of Apollo Daphnaeus, Apollo of the Laurels. Even the archways around the windows are full of intricate details. A short drive outside of modern Athens lies the Daphni Monastery, a UNESCO World heritage site with renowned glittering golden Byzantine mosaics…but like much of modern religion, it has its roots in ancient times and pagan traditions. Restorations are still underway, nearly 20 years later! The sanctuary was chosen as the site for a monastery, incorporating the ancient temple columns into the Byzantine church structure. Many – I am not sure that all of the mosaics – have been put back in their proper places, and it is beautiful! Yet it’s worth taking a deep breath or two and recalling that in the 1,000 year exceptionally turbulent history of this extraordinary building a few decades of closure are relatively insignificant. This seems like an incredulous timeframe, but repairing millennium old art obviously can’t be rushed. The Daphni monastery: History, architecture, mosaics (Society for Peloponnesian Studies series) Jul 2, 2018 - #eastern #architecture MOSAIC: Crucifixion, Church of the Dormition, Daphni, Greece. A collection of beautiful 12th century Byzantine mosaics from Daphni Monastery. © 2021 — Glenna Rose GoesCreated with in San Diego, CA. The fores Daphni or Dafni (Modern Greek: Δαφνί; Katharevousa: Δαφνίον, Daphnion) is an eleventh-century Byzantine monastery eleven kilometers (6.8 miles) northwest of central Athens in the suburb of Chaidari, south of Athinon Avenue ().It is situated near the forest of the same name, on the Sacred Way that led to Eleusis.The forest covers about 18 km 2 (7 sq mi), and surrounds a laurel grove. Besides a photography/documentary crew with some pretty professional looking equipment, the only other visitors were a priest (I assumed he was the church’s priest, but Gus and his mom spoke to him for a while and learned he was a visitor like us) and a Syrian Orthodox couple from India. Daphni Monastery - Dafní or Daphní is an 11th-century Byzantine monastery 11 km north-west of downtown Athens in Chaidari, south of Athinon Avenue (GR-8A). mosaics. Reaching into the fridge for the milk to find your sons have polished it off and not bothered to tell you is pretty annoying especially when it’s 9pm and there’s no time to buy any more before tomorrow’s breakfast. People pushing in front of you in queues is probably top of my madden-making list. The Daphni Monastery located in Haidari area, of D.. Athens, on the outskirts of Variable Conditions. Byzantine construction common to so many churches in Greece. If you love Orthodox mosaics that rival the beauty of those in Istanbul visit the Monastery of Daphni. Had the church interior to myself for 15 minutes. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. There is no entrance fee and no staffing as far as we could tell. Except there arent any. Please see the comment from Maria Ebert below. Several important studie… Our trip to this monastery included an ancient temple, gilded mosaics, and meeting a Syrian Orthodox couple from India. Commissions welcome. to make the most of the day. I recently read on the big, bad internet some advice[...], When I was in Greece with my mother-in-law during Orthodox[...], In spring, Greece blooms both physically and spiritually. Many perished at sea, but some ships arrived in India to establish the Syrian Orthodox church there. Thank you so much for the update. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. We enjoyed the relative tranquility of the church as one of only a handful of visitors on this off-the-beaten-path tourist site. The monastery itself and its mosaics, however, suffered serious damage during an earthquake in 1999. Extensive work, some of it partially concealed, reveals fortification against earthquakes. The Museum at Daphni Monastery. Quiet setting. https://www.facebook.com/SoniaKingMosaicArtist/photos/a.10150095471203275.319466.66342168274/10150095471548275/?type=3&theater, UNESCO World Heritage Site #34: Monasteries of Daphni, Hosios Loukas and Nea Moni of Chios (Greece) - GoThreeTwentyFour. We thought so too at first, but we just pulled the gate and it opened! But if you want to see the actual mosaics, it is very unlikely that you’ll have any luck. English: The Monastery of Daphni (or Dafni, before the spelling change, Dafnion or Daphnion) is a monastery 11 km north-west of downtown Athens in Chaidari, south of Athinon Avenue (GR-8A).It is situated near the forest of the same name, on the Sacred Way that led to Eleusis.The monastery if famous for its Byzantine mosaics. The forest covers about 15 to 20 km². Few visitors. From the Ministry of Culture:. The Daphni Monastery is built on the site of the ancient sanctuary of Apollo Daphnaios which was destroyed during the invasion of the Goths in 395 A.D. Of the old temple only one Ionic column still remains in the colonnade of the narthex, while the rest were removed by Lord Elgin in the 19th century. Daphni is the modern Greek name that means laurel grove, derived from Daphneion. It is situated near the forest of the same name, on the Sacred Way t Photo: Helen Miles Mosaics. Few visitors. Imagine how spectacular this church was when fully decorated in gilded mosaics. I spent 2 hours here this morning. And an even more lackadaisical video: The video room, Daphni Monastery. They traveled along a road called the Sacred Way, passing a sanctuary of Apollo at roughly the half-way point. Contemporary mosaics for interior and exterior spaces. These mosaics are, according to www.sacred-destinations.com,  ‘the largest and finest collection in Southern Greece.’ Wikipedia gives more detail: ‘The church houses the best preserved complex of mosaics from the early Komnenian period (ca. We combined with a trip to the archaeology site at Eleusis (I’ll write about that soon!) Meister von Daphni 003.jpg 2,024 × 1,799; 385 KB P1190015 Dafni Engel.jpg 1,920 × 2,560; 2.03 MB Christ pantocrator daphne1090-1100 (button).jpg 100 × 50; 2 KB Quiet setting. Windows in the dome illuminate Christ and emphasize his dominance, The frescoes are about 500 years newer than the mosaics. You can see many structural reinforcements from the ongoing restoration. Anyone who loves all things Byzantine or all things mosaic would have it high on their agenda alongside the churches of Agia Sophia and the Chora in Istanbul and the Greek monasteries of Osios Loukas and Nea Moni. Here’s a link to one of the pics I took: https://www.facebook.com/SoniaKingMosaicArtist/photos/a.10150095471203275.319466.66342168274/10150095471548275/?type=3&theater, Pingback: UNESCO World Heritage Site #34: Monasteries of Daphni, Hosios Loukas and Nea Moni of Chios (Greece) - GoThreeTwentyFour. It is now officially open twice a week. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. Photo: Helen Miles Mosaics. This column was part of that ancient temple. Over the centuries it’s been sacked by Frankish crusaders, used as a Turkish garrison, battered by a series of earthquakes and even served time as a lunatic asylum. Mosaics: Literature : The Crucifixion Second half of the 11th century: The Descent into Hell Second half of the 11th century: Doubting Thomas Second half of the 11th century: The Nativity of the Virgin Second half of the 11th century: Christ Pantocrator These were added by the Cistercian monks who turned Daphni into a Catholic monastery after the Crusaders captured Constantinople in 1204. 1090-1100. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Please add widgets to this widgetized area ("Side Panel Section") in Appearance > Widgets. Prayers of Ioakim and Anna: Annunciation of Ioakim: The Virgin with Ioakim and Anna: Annunciation of the Mother of God: The Baptism of Christ: The Washing of the Disciples: Entering Jerusalem: Christ at the Last Supper: The Crucifixion: Resurrection: Required fields are marked *. Dafní or Daphní (Greek Δαφνί ; Katharevousa Greek Δάφνιον , Dáfnion or Dáphnion ) is an 11th-century Byzantine monastery 11 km north-west of downtown Athens in Chaidari , south of Athinon Avenue ( GR-8A ). The wide assortment of colored shades of glass tesserae further enhances the mosaics. Apparently all of the mosaics were removed in order to reinforce the columns, foundation and walls. The Daphni Monastery is built on the site of the ancient sanctuary of Apollo Daphnaios which was destroyed during the invasion of the Goths in 395 A.D. The site, including the mosaics, are now open to the public two days a week. It is situated near the forest of the same name, on the Sacred Way that led to Eleusis. 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