Kesariani Monastery

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Kesariani Monastery

The Kesariani Monastery or traditionally Kaisariani Monastery ( Greek Καισαριανή ) was an Orthodox monastery on the north side of Mount Hymettos in Attica from the 11th century to 1821. It is now a museum.

location

The monastery complex is located east of the suburb of Kesariani in the east of Athens in a valley of the Hymetto , in the midst of cypresses, plane trees and pines.

history

Thanks to the Macedonian dynasty (867-1080) of the Byzantine emperors, the 11th century was a cultural heyday of the Byzantine Empire . At that time, a number of monasteries were built on the slope of the Hymetto, among them the Asterion Monastery, an exceptionally beautiful building that overlooks the attic from a height of 545 meters. In the 10th century the monastery "Saint John the Hunters", also called "Philosophers' Monastery", was founded. The monastery “Saint John Theologos” at the foot of the Hymettos on the edge of Papagos and the monastery Karea above the Mesogia plain were built during this time.

The Kaisariani Monastery was the most prestigious and richest of all. Due to stately privileges, it owned lands with olive trees, vineyards, beehives, and medicinal herb gardens . Its heyday was between the end of the 12th century and the beginning of the 13th century. In 1204 Pope Innocent III subordinated . the Kaisariani Monastery of the jurisdiction of the Latin Archbishop of Athens. When the Ottoman Empire occupied Attica in 1458 , the key to the city of Athens is said to have been presented to Sultan Mehmed II at the monastery.

In 1678, Patriarch Dionysus IV declared the monastery to be free and independent from the Metropolitan : his only obligation was to perform funeral rites. In 1792 Patriarch Neophytos VII revoked the independence of the monastery in a bull ; it was again under the supervision of the Metropolitan of Athens and became impoverished.

It was dissolved in 1821. The once famous monastery library, which probably also had documents from ancient libraries, was largely sold to the English.

The monastery complex

The complex's buildings are surrounded by a high wall. The entrance is on the west side. The complex consists of the main church (the Katholikon), the refectory, the bathhouse and the cells.

The monastery was built on the ruins of an older building. Nothing has been preserved from the original interior painting.

The catholicon and the bathhouse date from the 11th century, while the narthex , the bell tower and the Antonioskapelle are additions from a later period. The buildings to the left of the eastern entrance surround a spring covered by a semi-dome.

The Katholikon

The Katholikon is dedicated to Mary's temple passage (the reception of Mary into the temple). It is a cross-domed church with elegant proportions. The walls are made of house stones, each of which is covered by a thin layer of brick on the connecting sides. The window arches are surrounded by brick decorations.

The narthex and a side porch with an open bell tower were added to the west side in the 17th century. Marble components from older churches were used for thresholds and lintels.

The frescoes

The oldest Freko from the 14th century is on the southern outer wall of the Katholikon. It shows Our Lady in prayer.

The church and its narthex are decorated with frescoes from the time of the Turkish rule. The wealthy Venizelos family donated the frescoes, which were painted according to an inscription by Ioannis Ypatos of the Peloponnese in 1682 . In the dome, Christ is depicted as Pantocrator , the other frescoes show the Virgin Mary, John the Baptist , angels and the four evangelists . In the chapel, Maria Platytera is depicted with angels on either side of her throne.

The bathhouse

The bathhouse of Kaisariani and the bathhouses in Daphni and Dervenossalessi near Kithairon show that the monks often used baths in the 11th century. The cells and the refectory were heated with the warm water. During the Turkish occupation, the bath house was converted into an oil press.

In 1981 and 1999, parts of the monastery complex, in particular the bathhouse and refectory, were damaged by severe earthquakes.

The refectory

The refectory and the kitchen are in their own building on the west side of the wall, opposite the Katholikon. The refectory is a long rectangular vaulted room divided into two parts. The square kitchen on the south side of the refectory with a vaulted ceiling and a fireplace. The stove is in the middle of the room, surrounded by a step at the foot of the four walls. The building probably dates from the 16th or 17th century.

The cells of the monks, together with the Venizelos tower, take up almost the entire south side of the garden.

Web links

Coordinates: 37 ° 57 ′ 39 ″  N , 23 ° 47 ′ 54 ″  E