The Pavlou Monastery was a great place to end my time on Mount Athos. After all that went on at Vatopedi monastery (some of which I will share soon), I needed some quiet time for thought and contemplation. Pavlou was the perfect location for such.
It is not far from the base of Mount Athos, and my hat’s off to those who climb that snow-capped mountain. I actually felt very sorry for the group(s) doing so that day, for reasons that will be clear in a moment. It is up the side of the “hill” and I was glad for the ride up to the monastery from the port. Lots of work going on there to secure things and deal with occasional floods coming down the mountain.
The views were spectacular, and our room had a good view of the courtyard. The church was, of course, in the center, but behind it was a narrow way with a cross, some conveniently placed benches, and even a holy spring nearby which made for a perfect spot to sit, think, and pray. I needed that time by myself more than I can say, or even that I realized at first. It would have been nice to wander around more, but I had a LOT to think about that took priority over being a tourist.
I took the time while I could, and enjoyed the weather while I could, as I could feel the storms coming. Since I was hit by the lightning, if I pay attention I can get a pretty good idea of if storms are coming and even if there will be lightning (and sometimes where). Not one hundred percent, but better than average. I could feel the weather changing, so made the best use I could of the great weather while I could.
I was able to play tourist to a limited extent, and it is almost amusing to realize that I got more photos at my “bookend” monasteries than I did at Vatopedi. Then again, I still tend to lose myself a bit in the photography which helped give me time to process things. So, I would sit, think, and pray; then go do a bit of photography; and, then lather, rinse, and repeat. I needed that time.
Soon it was time for the evening services and then dinner. Monastic services are a little different (if you want I can one day discuss the two periods where monastic and cathedral rites were joined together in synthesis) and I’ve come to enjoy them. Even when long, they tend to move along as monks have things to do. Though they move a bit faster than cathedral rites, you can quickly lose yourself into the service. Add in amazing architecture and art, and you truly do have a feast for the senses.
There was a group of American pilgrims there that I was introduced to after service. It was a pleasure to meet them, and the priest leading them was a graduate of the seminary where I took my course this spring. I really enjoyed meeting him and came to appreciate his leadership as we were leaving.
After dinner, we were given a chance to learn about some of the icons and relics there, and to venerate them. While they have a portion of the Gifts of the Magi, for me there was one icon that particularly caught my attention. The icon was the Icon of the Virgin Mary Kathreptis. During the years of iconoclasm, this icon was protected by the Empress Theodora in her private chamber hidden behind a mirror. There are scorch marks on it hinting that it’s survival from the pagan fires of iconoclasm was close at some point. It is also extremely unique and if you are interested in iconography at all I would highly recommend reading up on it.
That night it did indeed storm, and the storm continued into the next morning. I donned the poncho my Godmother (Matushka) had given me to bring but as we were to leave to go back down to the port, the rain stopped. We got down to the port, and when the boat came we all got onboard despite objections from some that we should wait for the boat to come back since it was still on the outbound portion of its journey. The American priest overrode that bit of idiocy and I cheerfully went along with him as I had no desire to be out for an hour or so in rain and possibly lightning. I will have to share some video from that ride one day here soon, so glad we did it.
There is more to come. I will particularly ask you to hit the tip jar today if you can, as I am looking at taking one or more courses at the seminary this fall. If I take just one, looking at needing about $7k, and if two it will be another $4k on top of that. Would appreciate the help very much. Thank you for reading, commenting, and liking things. It is all very much appreciated!
If you would like to help me with this trip, seminary courses, and more, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. I’ve added Cash App ($CliffPow7) and Venmo (@Clifford-Powers-5). There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. Getting hit by lightning is not fun! It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.
It sounds like you were able to be by yourself when needed and join a group when needed