Monasteries of Greece - Tapa dura

This is an illustrated history of the monasteries of Greece. The book starts in the Egyptian desert at St Catherine's on Mount Sinai, where the "Desert Fathers" exercised an early influence over subsequent eastern orthodoxy. It moves on to discuss numerous and varied monasteries in mainland and island Greece, including those on Patmos, Crete and Egina, and those of Hosias Loukos and Agnountos, both west of Athens. The book discusses in detail the Theocratic Republic of Mount Athos, where orthodox monasticism has been jealously guarded since the late Byzantine era. The monasteries are magnificently sited on a rocky promontory and contain a wealth of frescoes, religious artefacts and important manuscripts. The book also covers the so-called monasteries in the air at Meteora in central Greece. The remaining six monasteries are perched towering on huge rock pinnacles, with access only possible by rope, ladders or makeshift scaffolding lashed to the vertical rock faces. The book presents a detailed architectural and theological history of the monasteries of Greece and is illustrated with photographs of the buildings, their treasures and the landscapes in which they are constructed.