Hi everyone. Happy Friday.
Today I have some more photos from Greece to share. There's lots of faces for Nicole's FRiday Face Off.. I'll also be linking up to Gillena's Friday Lunch Break. Today's photos are something I noticed that were quite common in Greece. Besides churches, it seemed like there were shrines, icons and religious images in many places. I am not very familiar with the Greek Orthodox church, and even though there are some around where I live, I've never visited one before. Perhaps that is why I found these very interesting.
We saw these little "churches" or "shrines" in many places. The one above was on a road through the mountains. And below, there was a small shrine on the street; this shrine was for St. Barbara and photographed in Corfu. I learned about St. Barbara in Meteora; more about both Meteora and St. Barbara in another post.
Many shops also had icons hanging in them. This photo was taken in a bakery in Corfu.
The mosaic work and the gold in this tiled piece in a church in Athens was beautiful.
You can see there's a little shrine next to the ferry terminal in Artkista.
You could go into these little shrines and light a candle.
My friend lit a candle for the rest of our trip at one in Trikala.
Inside these small shrines you find a lot of icons. I'm not sure of the religious symbolism or meaning behind them, but artistically I find them interesting. Here in New England where I live, (which was settled by the strict and unembellished Puritans) you don't see this type of art unless it is in someone's home or a religious facility. Although styled differently, they remind me of all the icons you see in parts of New Mexico also.
And in Athens, this pretty little church was smack dab in the middle of some more modern construction.
Inside the church were some artistically beautiful icons also.
And there were more candles you could light.
I know when you visit a new country, you can't learn everything about it in 10 days. However, I love discovering what I can about about places I visit. To me, it makes the visit richer.
That's all for me today. Have a super start to your weekend.
Are those faces in the churches Greek Gods? The little church in Athens is really beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThe little churches are beautifully shaped. The religious images simply add to the attraction.
ReplyDelete...Icons are a beautiful artform.
ReplyDeletethank you for sharing these lovely shrines and little churches-just beautiful
ReplyDeletehappy Friay hugs Kathy
the icons are beautiful. One of my calligraphy instructors also paints icons. There are strict rules about the paintings which are done on wood. The saints that are painted also have specific colors that are used in their clothing. Lots of gold (I think gold leaf), too. I hope you are feeling better.
ReplyDeleteVery beautiful icons. Thank you for sharing. We have one Orthodox church in Helsinki and one monastery in the countryside.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful weekend 😍🪄💐
Wonderful shots of the churches. -Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your eye for the interesting small things, not just the famous monuments. It’s fascinating to learn that these medieval-style or Byzantine icons are still seen everywhere in modern Greece. So much history is reflected.
ReplyDeletebest, mae at maefood.blogspot.com
I don't know why I like icons so much, given that I'm not into religion in that way but I find them interesting -- usually quite flat, with the gold. I should try painting one. Maybe an icon of Lizzie, since she thinks that she is the word -- and the word is meow. Those churches are very pretty. I love visiting churches when I travel.
ReplyDeleteYou sure found a lot of faces! Nice churches. Thank you. It is soooo long ago we went to Greece, but now I have a Greek doc! He´s sweet. Hugs
ReplyDeleteLovely photos, I love Icons! So beautiful! Hugs, Valerie.
ReplyDeleteShort commrnt, doing the fiasl set up with my new laptop.
Religion, of course, has always stimulated great visual art and great music too. One can appreciate the beauty without knowing the back story - and probably that’s what happens most of the time. Often, of course, the artists were not particularly devout. They were hired to do the work, and then as now, a good commission was always appreciated. All the best - David
ReplyDeleteI'm with you, Erika! I enjoy learning what I can about a place I'm visiting, even as I accept I can't learn everything. I really enjoy religious icons, and I've been fortunate to see many beautiful ones. I didn't know there was a St. Barbara, but then I haven't been to many Greek Orthodox churches. It looks like you had a great visit!
ReplyDeleteAwesome icons ~ such treasures ~ thanks,
ReplyDeleteWishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
Learning about new places is fun. I love pictures!
ReplyDeleteOhhh all of these photos are just gorgeous. Thank you for joining FFO and have a very nice weekend.
ReplyDeleteI am in LOVE with these icons. I am so impressed with the Byzantine era and many of the icons from that period. The candles remind me of the ones I see in the Father Brown tv show. Just stunning beauty.
ReplyDeleteThese are small churches from the Orthodox faith. Some of them are very old. Have a beautiful weekend!
ReplyDeleteWow! Fantastic photos!
ReplyDeleteI'm not religious but those little churches are so nice to look at.
ReplyDeleteYou said it, Erika, when you have limited time, it is hard to see everything in a country. That said, thanks for sharing some of the things you did see on your 10-day trip as we may not get there ourselves.
ReplyDeleteSuch a nice collection of photographs
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed seeing the small shrines and icons.
All the best Jan
More fabulous holiday photos and I loving seeing them, hugs, Chrisx
ReplyDeleteThe 90% or Greeks (at least) are Orthodox Christians. We light candles every time we visit a church/shrine. They are full of icons because we pray in front of them, we ask for their help when we are in need and we kiss the icons. You will see icons in every Greek house. Kisses!!!
ReplyDelete