Large metropolitan cities, amazing beaches, and remote mountain villages are mostly our destinations, but Meteora had it’s own beauty and mystique. The Greek word literally means “suspended rock,” which is an accurate portrayal of the landscape with it’s rocks extended towards the sky. The monasteries are built on top of these large pinnacles and monks would use a pulley system with nets to hoist themselves up. However now there are long winding staircases.
The first monastery we visited was named after the ascetic monk named Barlaam who climbed the rock and built three churches in dedication to the Three Hierarchs; Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom. No one followed him up there, so after his death the site was abandoned and fell into ruin until Theophanes and Nektarios Asparades found it again. They erected the ruins and dedicated the monastery to All Saints.
The inside of the monastery was covered in bright, colorful frescoes that literally left no space unpainted and depicted scenes of redemption and martyrdom from the new testament. Many ancient worshippers could not read the bible so these murals would serve as testimonies of perseverance, visual representation of faith, and aids to reflection. By viewing the Saints and their sacrifices, a person is able to draw inspiration and encouragement. Our tour guide explained that the Greek Orthodox pray to the Saints, not as gods but as a median to God. The Saints bring them closer to the divine as sort of messengers and role models.
Icons, artistic depictions of Christ, the Virgin Mary and the Saints, covered the walls inside both the monasteries and the basilica. I noticed a woman in the basilica kissing each of the icons reverently. She was not worshipping idols, but becoming one with the figure in the icon. That is why they are always flat and two-dimensional because when you look at them or kiss them, you become the third dimension. Some believe that the icons are flat because humans do not understand the world of the divine spirits and cannot comprehend it using our five senses. This is very different from the Roman Catholics style of worship where they employ statues that are life-like and three dimensional. However, they still are not worshipped but used as visual aids and decorations.
Symbolism in the art and the depiction of the Saints was very evident in the frescoes, mosaics, and other icons. A recurring theme was the color symbolism; gold represents the kingdom of God, blue is the human life, and red is the divine life. Jesus is always painted wearing a red undergarment and a blue outer garment which conveys his descent from the divine into mortal form. The Virgin Mary has the opposite set of garments and illustrates her birth into mortality and her descent to divinity. I found this motif in all three sites we saw; the Meteora Monasteries, St. Paul’s alter, and St. Demetrius basilica.
The Saints were also depicted in an idealized way with their ears and eyes big showing their reception of Christ’s words and their beauty masked because their souls were far surpassing physical attraction. The saints were always painted on the lower parts of the walls, which connect more with the humans worshipping. It demonstrates that they are the link between this world and the divine. The face of Jesus Christ is always on the top part of the dome, which is a visual representation of Him in heaven. The basilica had an interesting representation of the angels almost lifting up the dome of Jesus and the Virgin Mary.
The basilica of St. Demetrius was built on the site of his martyrdom where he was speared to death. The Virgin Mary is depicted with the baby Jesus in her arms in the pews with glowing amber windows that gave the whole building a sacred glow. In the Orthodox Church, Mary is always shown higher than the Saints because although she was also human she was blessed and sacrificed her body to bring Jesus Christ into our world. She is a physical manifestation of the divine and mortal world connecting. The basilica interestingly was also the site of some Roman Baths that we got to explore.
I also noticed a fountain that looked similar to the ablutions we saw in Turkey. The idea of cleansing and purification seem to be prevalent in all religions. In Islamic faith one must take off their shoes and cleanse their hands, feet, and face before entering the mosque. Christians believe in baptism as a liberation from sin that separates us from God or a declaration of a person’s belief and faith in Christ. Jews do a ritual washing which include washing the hands, feet or even total immersion intended to restore or maintain a state of ritual purity. The ancient greeks that worshipped the Olympic gods were also insistent on being cleansed. In Oresteia, for example, Apollo cleanses Orestes of his mother’s blood he shed. Many could not enter sanctuaries of the gods if they were not cleansed. That is why criminals and such were not allowed to enter. Also, pregnant women (because if they had a miscarriage) and those who were approaching death could not walk the sacred path of Apollo’s sanctuary because they would dishonor the sacred area with death.
Although I noticed a lot of similarities between all the religions and especially between the Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholicism. I couldn’t help but contrast it with the style of worship I’m used too. I’m not an avid church attendee but I do like to accompany my brother to his non-denominational church in Austin. It’s much more relaxed than traditional churches where people from nice dresses to jeans and sandals show up and have fellowship with one another. It’s an amazing time for reflection and celebration about our relationship with Jesus Christ. This seems to be very different from the reverent style of worship found in the Catholic or Orthodox Church. My perception is that some focus on the original sin and the need for repentance. Whereas most of the Christian worship I have experienced is more uplifting and praises humans as God’s children and made in his image. Also, protestants seem to engage in more musical worship which is not seen in orthodoxy. Regardless, both styles of worship glorify God either in beautiful artistic paintings, frescoes, or music.