As I got closer, and higher, the road was steep and had alot of switch-backs.
Evangelista is one of the most outstanding Byzantine monuments preserved in Skopelos and inside it walls is the church of the Annunciation of the Virgin. It dates from the 1700s, and is located about 2.5 miles from town.
The Byzantine style was based, to some extent, on the Christian sacred history, and icons played a central role due to the triumph of Orthodoxy. Arches and domes, and the “cross in square” ground plans are the main features of Byzantine constructions, beautifully decorated with sacred paintings and mosaics with Bible scenes. The church at Evangelista shows some of these typical features. Here is the elaborate altar and the beautiful mosaic tile floor.
At the front door, a sign said to dress appropriately and only ring the bell once. I rang it, and about 5 minutes later a diminutive, elderly nun with long gray hair let me in. She didn't speak English, but hobbled along and pointed towards the church motioning for me to go inside and look around. When I arrived, she was washing her laundry by hand and feeding a large group of cats. Afterwards, she led me to a simple little room that had a small window with a view of the valley below. She displayed and sold lace, icons and crosses to help support the monastery. I bought a small icon for 3 Euros.
Afterwards, I hiked back down the hill and started up a different road, this one even steeper, towards the monastery of Metamorphosis. A few minutes into this hike, a car of girls I'd seen at Evangelista stopped to offer me a ride. They said they were going ALL the way to the top to see Prodromos Monastery. I would never have been able to reach it on foot, so I hopped in and scrapped my original plan. The girls were in Skopelos from Athens and were very nice. Two of them spoke English and explained things to me about Orthodoxy. Here are some photos of Prodromos, including it's vegetable garden. Currently, only 2 nuns reside there.
According to the inscription at the entrance, in 1721 the monk Filaretou rebuilt it on top of the old foundation. The church of the monastery of Prodromos is the same type of church as Metamorphosis (cross shaped with four pillars). The only difference is the existence of two choirs on the sides, following the style of Mt. Athos. There is a gilded altar screen of woodcarvings with rich decorations of vine leaves, birds, animals and 15 illustrations of the main orthodox celebrations. Also of importance are the icons in the monastery, which date back to the 16th, 17th and 18th century A.D. In the monastery's dining room is a wall painting relating to the founding of the monastery. In the conch is an illustrated prayer, with St. Haralampos and Filaretos the holy monk and founder on either side. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed inside.
From here, I accompanied my new Greek friends, Anastasia, Evi and Katerina, to see the small unmarked Church of the Assumption of the Virgin (above). It was made of stone and had icons inside and a tiny monk's quarters with a fireplace attached to it. As they had at the prior church, the Greek Orthodox girls walked around the church and crossed themselves at each icon, kissing it out of respect. They explained that most churches have four icons seperating the entrance from the holy area inside: Christ on the right, John the Baptist to his left, the saint that the church is dedicated to next to that, and the Virgin Mary on the far left. They also recommended that I read Seraphim Rose's biography to get more information on Orthodoxy in general. Meeting them made my monastery and church visits much more interesting! It also saved my aching feet from about 3 additional miles of hiking.
The sunset as we set off down the mountain was stunning. You can see in the photo below just how high up these monasteries were built. Talk about living in seclusion! You can see Skopelos Town across the harbor where I began my hike!
After all these weeks in Greece, I couldn't resist taking this shot of my poor tired feet... dusty, tanned, swollen, only recently blistered, and wearing no polish, only the obligatory "I'm on vacation!" ankle bracelet. I must admit, the Columbia flip-flops I bought before my trip have served me well. They're leather, have great tread and have weathered stone trails, cobbled steps, the beach, and miles of hiking. I'd happily do a TV commercial for these guys!
After 3 hours of hiking, I stopped in Platanos Square to have one last lamb dish that I hadn't tried yet, lamb in tomato sauce. It obviously had some of the local island plums in the sauce too, as I found some pits, but it was divine! Once again, the dish featured those small boiler onions in the sauce. I headed home around 9:30 for a much-deserved night's sleep.
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