Agia Lavra ("Holy
Lavra
A lavra or laura ( el, Λαύρα; Cyrillic: Ла́вра) is a type of monastery consisting of a cluster of cells or caves for hermits, with a church and sometimes a refectory at the center. It is erected within the Orthodox and other Eastern ...
") is a monastery near
Kalavryta
Kalavryta ( el, Καλάβρυτα) is a town and a municipality in the mountainous east-central part of the regional unit of Achaea, Greece. The town is located on the right bank of the river Vouraikos, south of Aigio, southeast of Patras and ...
,
Achaea,
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
. It was built in 961 AD, on
Chelmos Mountain, at an altitude of 961 meters, and can be described as the symbolic birthplace of modern Greece. It stands as one of the oldest monasteries in the
Peloponnese.
It was burnt to the ground in 1585 by the
Turks
Turk or Turks may refer to:
Communities and ethnic groups
* Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic languages
* Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
* Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic ...
. It was rebuilt in 1600 while the
frescoes by
Anthimos were completed in 1645. It was burnt again in 1715 and in 1826 by the armies of
Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt
Ibrahim Pasha ( tr, Kavalalı İbrahim Paşa; ar, إبراهيم باشا ''Ibrāhīm Bāshā''; 1789 – 10 November 1848) was an Ottoman Albanian general in the Egyptian army and the eldest son of Muhammad Ali, the Wāli and unrecognised Kh ...
. In 1850 after the rebirth of modern Greece, the building was completely rebuilt. The monastery was burned down by German forces in 1943.
It is famously linked with the
Greek War of Independence, since it was here that the call for ''
Eleftheria I Thanatos
( el, Ελευθερία ή θάνατος, ; 'Freedom or Death') is the motto of Greece. It originated in the Greek songs of resistance that were powerful motivating factors for independence. It was adopted in 1814 by the , a secret organizati ...
'' (Ελευθερία ή θάνατος) was first heard on 25 March 1821, launching the revolution against the Ottoman Empire. That day, Bishop
Germanos of Patras performed a
doxology
A doxology (Ancient Greek: ''doxologia'', from , '' doxa'' 'glory' and -, -''logia'' 'saying') is a short hymn of praises to God in various forms of Christian worship, often added to the end of canticles, psalms, and hymns. The tradition derive ...
and administered an
oath
Traditionally an oath (from Anglo-Saxon ', also called plight) is either a statement of fact or a promise taken by a sacrality as a sign of verity. A common legal substitute for those who conscientiously object to making sacred oaths is to g ...
to the Peloponnesian fighters. The revolutionary flag was raised by the Bishop under the plane tree just outside the gate of the monastery.
To this day, the vestments of Germanos, documents, books, icons, the Gospel of
Tsarina Catherine II of Russia, sacred vessels, crosses, etc. are preserved in the Monastery's museum, along with the holy relics of
St Alexios, given by Byzantine emperor
Manuel II Palaeologus in 1398. Pieces of embroidery, made with gold or silver threads woven in pure silk materials in Smyrna and Constantinople, are also possessions of the Monastery and they date from the 16th century.
On the hill opposite, a monument to the heroes of the Revolution of 1821 looks down upon the monastery.
See also
*
Greek War of Independence
*
Germanos of Patras
*
Greek Flag
The national flag of Greece, popularly referred to as the "blue and white one" ( el, Γαλανόλευκη, ) or the "sky blue and white" (, ), is officially recognised by Greece as one of its national symbols and has nine equal horizontal strip ...
Gallery
File:Agia Lavra monastery (September 2016), view from Greek Independence War monument.jpg, Agia Lavra monastery (September 2016), view from Greek Independence War monument.
Image:AgiaLavra.jpg, Monastery
Image:AgiaLavra2.jpg, Church
File:Agia Lavra monastery (September 2016).jpg, Agia Lavra monastery (September 2016)
Image:Germanos of Patras-1.jpg, Germanos of Patras (Portrait)
Image:Epanastasi.jpg, Germanos of Patras
References
External links
www.waymarking.com
{{coord, 38, 0, 47, N, 22, 4, 52, E, display=title
Greek War of Independence
Christian monasteries in Greece
History museums in Greece
Ottoman Greece
960s establishments in the Byzantine Empire
Museums in Peloponnese (region)
Kalavryta
961 establishments
Lavras