The Wall-paintings in the Katholikon

by Nik. Zias and Sot. Kadas

The Orthodox church is a place of theophany. With its frescoes and the rituals which take place within it, it sums up the events of creation and God’s dispensation: that is, that He “brought us from nothing into being and raised us when we had fallen. He did not desert us but did everything to lead us up to heaven and grant us (His) future kingdom”. The Iconography and everything to do with the Orthodox Church bear witness to the truth that “God became Man, in order to make Adam god”. Orthodox Iconography is humble. Because God Who became Man is also humble. It is humble because it centres on the God-Man. It does not project autonomous Man, but the God- Man. And in the God-Man, deified Man. Thus it shows the true glory of Man. Founded in the 14th centur y on the south-west side of Mount Athos, the Holy Monastery of Saint Gregorios is dedicated to Saint Nixholas and is considered to be one of the most well organized and strict coenobitic monasteries. Destroyed several times by fire , its last restoration was begun in the late Eighteenth century, when its Katholikon was built, in accordance to the Athonite plan. The church ’s walls were frescoed in 1779 by the Hieromonks Gabriel and Gregory from Kastoria. The monastery’s treasury is very rich in relics from various eras and also houses many chrysobulls, siggilia, etc. The bones of St Niphon, Patriarch of Constantinople, are displayed in a special crypt in the Katholikon. The monastery also features a fragment of the True Cross.

Cover type: Hard
311 pages
Edition #1 published in 1998 by The Holy Monastery of Saint Gregorios.
ISBN: 960-7533-15-2