Byzantine monastery of Osios Loukas
It’s been a long time since I first saw images of the mosaics of Osios Loukas in Greece. Of saints in softly gathered robes with their solemnly composed faces, heavy lidded eyes, downturned mouths and combed beards. Of domes covered in fractured gold and the assembly of Biblical figures and familiar scenes.
But somehow I never quite got around to visiting the Byzantine monastery which is tucked discreetly into the slopes of Mount Helicon, two hours north of Athens.
One clear day in October I finally pulled up at the car park above the monastery. The building is dedicated to St Luke, a 10th century hermit who clearly had an eye for a beautiful spot. The saint, reputed to have miraculous and prophetic powers, chose this place to spend the last few years of his life. With its magnificent views over Mount Parnassos, you are struck by the perfection of his choice. The total silence (the road ends here), the absence of the usual garlands of electrical wiring, the sense of self contained order and delicious calm. If only normal life were ever thus.
History of the mosaics of Osios Loukas
The thing about visiting mosaics is that you almost invariably get an extra pleasant surprise thrown in. The surprise here was a little museum which showed how the mosaics of Osios Loukas were originally made and subsequently restored.
It seems that they took quite a beating over the centuries, including being subjected to earthquakes and Turkish bullets. During the 20th century a series of restoration projects lasted several decades and involved removing every inch of mosaic . A new substrate of lime mortar was applied so that the mosaics we see today, although damaged in parts, look disarmingly fresh given their 1,000-year-old history.
The museum also includes an interesting exhibit. Here you see the different layers of substrate used to fix the original mosaics. Also, there are plaster fragments which show how the placing of each individual piece was marked and coloured onto the wall before the tesserae were applied:
Comparing mosaics
The next building you encounter is the main church, the katholikon, where the mosaics greet you as soon as you set foot in the door. This is a larger, grander version of Istanbul’s Church of St. Saviour in Chora. Where the St. Saviour church is intimate, the katholikon of Osios Loukas is imposing. It has soaring domes and shafts of filtered light coming though panes of rounded glass.
Although the mosaics of Osios Loukas are similar in theme to many ecclesiastical mosaics of the Byzantine period, they have a pared down simplicity. We see careful groupings and largely empty backdrops and a predominance of mosaic portraits of saints. Here is Christ looking down on you from the narthex as you enter:
And here are two other Christs from Istanbul, one (top) in the Church of St Saviour and the other in Agia Sophia:
Anther example is this resurrection scene with Christ seizing the newly-risen dead by the wrists and wrenching them from their graves. It is a composition which matches its frescoed equivalent in St. Saviour.
The church contains mosaic representations of Nativity, the Baptism in the River Jordan, the Washing of the Feet, the Crucifixion, Doubting Thomas and Daniel in the Lion’s Den. In addition, there are depictions of various saints including church fathers and founders of the early Christian communities:
Looking at the wall paintings
My photography skills don’t extend to photographing interior mosaics high up on church walls. You will have to go to Osios Loukas and see the mosaics for yourself. However, the monastery’s floors are closer to hand and beautifully inlaid with opus sectile:
When you’re tired of mosaics (if such a thing is possible) there are plenty of wall paintings to keep your attention. I studied icon painting for a while and there isn’t really much difference in terms of style and composition between painting an icon and mosaicking one. Look at these frescos to see what I mean:
And there isn’t really much difference either between a 1,000 year old monk and a modern one:
