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Founding
The founder of Great Lavra, Athanasius, began the construction of the buildings in 963, according to the will of his friend and Byzantine Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas who funded the project. Nikephoros had promised Athanasius that he would soon became a monk of Great Lavra but the circumstances and his death cancelled those plans. However, a pernament imperial granting, which was doubled by John I Tzimiskes, allowed the integration of the buildings. The emperors gave also Grat Lavra many other lands of property including the island of Saint Eustratius and the Monastery of Saint Andreas in Thessaloniki. This led to the growth of the monks from 80 to 120.
Later history
The building project, according to the biography of saint Athanasius (11th century), began from the protective wall and continued to the church and cells. After Athanasius' death the monastery continued normally its operation. The eperors favored its development and during the 11th century there were 700 monks, while smaller monasteries had been ceded to Great Lavra. In the 14th century the monastery suffered, like all the other monasteries of Mount Athos, from Catalan and others pirates. The result of the crisis was the formation of a peculiar way of monasticism despite the objections of the official Church and the emperors. In 1574, the Patriarch of Alexandria Sylvester helped and the monastery operated again under the Cenobitic monasticism but soon the peculiar monasticism was again intoduced. In 1655 the Patriarch Dionysios III donated his personal fortune who also became a monk, for the return to the cenobite but again these tries were insufficient and the the peculiar monasticism remained until the 20th century (1914), when there were new tries for the return to the cenobite but without results. Since 1980 the monastery is cenobitic.
Buildings
The central church (Katholikon) was found by Athanasius who also lost his life together with other 6 workers when during the construction one of the domes fell. The architectural style of the temple is characterized by the two large areas of the chorus and the preyer. This style was then consecrated and was copied by the other monasteries. The frescos were made in 1535 by the great painter Theophanis. However, the narthex was painted in 1854.
Northern of the preyer, there is the chapel of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste in which there is the grave of Athanasius. Southern of the preyer, there is the chapel of Saint Nicholas, painted by Franco Cantellano, in 1560. The trapeza opposite the central entrance has a shape of cross and is the biggest on Mount Athos. Its internal is full of frescos, painted by Theophanis or his school.
Art treasures
The library of the monastery is located behind the main church. It contains 2,116 greek manuscripts and 165 codeces. Among them two important uncials, the Codex Coislinianus and the Codex Athous Lavrentis. There are also over 20,000 printed books, and about 100 manuscripts in other languages. The collection is one of the richest collections of greek manuscripts in the world.
The vestry is behind the main church. Some of the most important artifacts are a manuscript of a gospel with a golden cover which is a gift from Nikephoros II Phokas and the list (Kouvaras) of the monks since Athanasius. There are also 2,500 icons which cover the whole history of hagiography of the second millennium.
References
- Papyrus Larousse Britannica 2006
See also
- Lavra
- Prodromos Skete, belonging to the Great Lavra
External links
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