
Greek Courtyard - Agiou Stefanou Monastery -Balcony

by Jan Dappen
Original - Sold
Price
Not Specified
Dimensions
26.000 x 24.000 inches
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Title
Greek Courtyard - Agiou Stefanou Monastery -Balcony
Artist
Jan Dappen
Medium
Painting - Oil On Canvas
Description
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Agiou Stefanou Monastery Greek Courtyard
Jan Dappen/Artist
This is an original oil painting I painted for my sister after her Aegean Sea Cruise from a snapshot she provided. I was actually unaware of the importance and significance of this Monastery courtyard, its historical and religious connections until I recently asked my sister to provide the name of the courtyard. After much research, I realized I actually have a small wooden religious print from the nunnery given to me years ago by my favorite Catholic Priest , Father Clem. He told me if I ever go anywhere to please visit Meteora, a place of which he was certain the spirit was present. So now, this painting means even more to me than just pleasing my sister...which was very important.
The Monastery of Agiou Stefanou (St. Stephens) was built in the 1400s by St. Antoninus Cantacuzene, a son of a Serb ruler.Antoninus Cantacuzene was a direct descendant of John VI Kantakouzinos Greek Emperor of the Byzantine empire.1347- 1354.Deposed,he became a monk,and took the name Joasaph christodoulos (christ slave) a prolific writer of christianity, he died in a monastery June 15 1383. This courtyard is located in the City of Meteora in the State of Thessaly, and country of Greece. it is 150 meters high... 'very close to Heaven'. The monastery was damaged in the 20th Century, bombed during WWII and further desecrated during subsequent Civil Wars. Most of the frescoes were unfortunately defaced by Communist rebels. However, a surviving fresco of the Virgin in Apse can be found in the refectory (15th Century). There is a museum containing vestments and other religious items. The nuns sell trinkets and embroidered items. The monastery became a nunnery in 1961 and is currently inhabited by 28 nuns. It was previously abandoned and now led by the Abbess Agathi Antoniou. This active Nunnery in the Metoria contains a very important relic, the Head of St. Charalambos, claimed to have the power of warding off illnesses. Miracles have be known to occur from the fragments of his relics.
In the future, I plan to create a series of paintings devoted to this sacred place in the heavens. I thank my sister, Kaye, again for the fantastic capture she made of this courtyard. After looking at many pictures, she chose a great perspective of the courtyard and its doors.
Uploaded
August 28th, 2013
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