Pilgrimage to Holy Mountain p 37

37

On To Simonopetra:

I have heard from other pilgrims that the monasteries nearer the hurricane fence line border between Greece and Holy Mountain are much tougher than the soft ones to the south. They are probably more militaristic since they have to patrol the border. They don’t sound very hospitable or interesting to me so I avoid them by crossing the peninsula and heading back south toward Saint Anne’s.

I visit several monasteries. Each is unique, but they share some architectural features. They all seem to have a central church and an enclosed courtyard. Their main gates are made of heavy wood sometimes covered with iron sheathing I suppose for defense against medieval battering rams. Most of the buildings within the wall are built of stone with the upper stories made of white painted wood. Many are built on cliffs with the level area of the monastery being set on a stone foundation terrace a hundred or more feet high.

They must have been formidable fortresses in their day and remain an enduring testament to the creativity and skill of generations of believers.

Built on a high outcropping of solid rock, Simonopetra Monastery is perhaps the most spectacular of them all. My first view of the place from land was from the footpath leading from the next large monastery to the north, Pantaleimon.

But the Guest Master of Simonopetra made an indelible and not very pleasant impression on me. When he was showing me to the cell where I would spend the night he asked what Orthodox congregation in the states I was from. When I told him I was not Orthodox, but was making a pilgrimage as the proxy of an Orthodox woman in California. He asked why I was not Orthodox. When I replied that I was a seeker exploring many of the various paths to spiritual understanding, he actually got angry. This was quite a surprise because I had rarely seen any emotion displayed by the monks, neither happiness, sorrow nor anger. They all seemed to be following the ideal of “the middle way” quite well. This monk, however, told me to go to my room and not leave it. until I was called to breakfast, After breakfast he said I was to leave Simonopetra immediately.

When I left for Saint Anne’s in the morning I noticed a lot of gray ash in the air borne on the morning breeze.

Tomasito, 2009


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