Sacred Site #3 - a photo on Flickriver

Sacred Site #3

            Beneath Meteora, Greece, there is a site of spiritual power that has been sacred since ancient times. On this site there was originally erected an ancient temple, probably of god Phœbus Apollo, or another deity (e.g. the god Dionysus / Bacchus, the goddess Hera / Juno etc.).

In c.1000-1200 AD the orthodox christian church of the Assumption (aka Dormition of Virgin Mary) was built on the very same site of the ancient temple by utilizing the ancient ruins as building blocks for the construction. Ancient deities’ symbols and figures were carved in high- and bas-relief and they are still visible on the south outside wall of the church. A whole host of unique architectural features are waiting to be seen inside.

The Assumption church was the Cathedral of the city now known as Kalampaka (formerly Aeginium, then Stagœ). It is a three-aisled basilica measuring 98×43 ft (30×13 m). This is the only church in Greece with its pulpit located in the middle of the nave (similar locations share the pulpits of Haghia Sophia in Constantinople, St. Apollinare in Ravenna and St. Clement in Rome). Within the sanctuary there are four rows of seats carved in marble with a throne in their middle, located to the east of the chancel table. The frescoes date back to 1573. The belfry (bell tower) was added to the church in 1887. Severe damage to the cathedral was caused by German Nazis, who used it as livestock shelter (stables or barn); they also burnt a lot of icons as if they were firewood.

The ancient temple was aligned with:
—Epidaurus and oracle of Delphi
—Delos Island and Amphiareion of Oropos
—ancient Olympia and Nestor’s palace at Pylos.

The ancient temple’s distance from the Necromanteion of Acheron (the necromancy oracle at river Acheron) was equal to its distance from the Argonauts’ Iolcus.
   

Taken on: August 17, 2020

Tags:

archaeology

architecture

church

Hellenic

Greek

Greece

christian

cathedral

assumption

basilica

pulpit

relief

Apollo

sun

symbols

sacred

site

place

power

spiritual

worship

ancient

Meteora

deity

god

goddess

Kalampaka

Papachristos

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Sets appears in: • Archaeology • Church, Monastery, Christendom more » • Ancient Temple Originally, Then Cathedral • Architecture • Cities / Architecture • Thessaly, Meteora, Kalampaka • History around us « less

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Camera: Canon EOS RP, f/11.0, 1/400 sec, 24mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS RP
Lens:	RF24-105mm F4 L IS USM
Aperture:	f/11.0
Exposure Time:	0.003 sec (1/400)
Focal Length:	24mm
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	-1/3 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	Adobe Photoshop 21.2 (Macintosh)
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