CULTURAL JOURNEY IN THE MONASTERIES OF BOEOTIA RELIGIOUS SOUVENIRS AND TOURIST INTEREST.

 

Manola M.

Substitute  professor University of Western Attica, Department of Tourism Management

Trikalitis,K.

PhD Candidate of the Department of Tourism University of West Attica.

 

 

ABSTRACT

In this article an attempt will be made to present the history and the cultural heritage of the Holy Monasteries of Boeotia. Through short interviews with the abbots of the monasteries and Statistics, the preferences of the travelers regarding the souvenirs they choose for religious memorabilia from their visit to the monasteries will be investigated.

Key words: Religious souvenirs,  Monasteries of Boeotia, historical tour, cultural heritage, religious tourism.

 

 

INTRODUCTION IN THE HISTORY

The monasteries of Boeotia stood as a beacon on a spiritual and militant level for all of Central Greece during the period of Ottoman rule and during the Greek Revolution, and hold rare treasures of the general cultural heritage of Boeotia and the entire Greek territory.Between Athens, on the road towards Lamia and central Greece, the historic site of Boeotia is situated and tourists and travelers can visit it. From ancient times, the area was already known as a sacred place. Born in Thebes, Dionysus was the god of wine and entertainment, while the hero and demigod Hercules was born here. According to Berman (2015), many sanctuaries and temples of the ancient Greek religion were scattered in the area.

With the arrival of Apostle Paul in Boeotia and the placement and stay of his faithful follower, Evangelist Luke in the region, the new religion of Christianity was cultivated in the area and with great reverence the inhabitants began to worship the one and only God.

According to Archbishop Ieronymos (2005)[1] small catacombs, such as the well-known catacomb of St. Catherine in Thebes, and small churches began to be built in order for the faithful to worship the new religion. With Its stabilization we have larger temples, while the solitary movements begin to develop significantly, and monasteries are built throughout the poor and rich territories, of Boeotia during the 9th century AD.

 

CULTURAL JOURNEY IN THE MONASTERIES OF BOEOTIA

Antonios the Great from Alexandria, Egypt, is recognized by Christian tradition and history records as the Οriginal, the First monk, who left the world of the living in 367 AD.  According to Matsoukas (2008), Antonio’s deciple Paxomios, organized the scattered monks, who wandered in the desert in a system of common worship and life. Somehow, we can say that the so-called "coenobitic"[2], considered until today as the ideal type of monasticism, emerged.

Many monasteries were built over the centuries on Boeotian land and were either abandoned or destroyed by barbaric raids and natural disasters. Today several monasteries, which accompany male and female monks that stand out, are:

The Holy monastery of Sagmata, which the visitor starting from Athens can meet at the 80th km of the national road to Lamia and 8 km away from Thebes. The male historical monastery of the Transfiguration of the Savior - Sagmata is one of the oldest monasteries in the area, built at an altitude of 747 meters on the top of Mount Sagmati in the High Boeotia. In Boeotia, land of gods and heroes on that mountain in ancient times, was a majestic statue and temple of the High Zeus. In the Byzantine years and with the continuous spread of monasticism after Mount Athos and mainly in Greece, it is the time when the name of the mountain changes from Ypation to Sagmation. The construction and completion of the Holy Monastery dates back in the 12th Century. As reported by the Archbishop of Athens and all Greece Ieronymos (2005), the Founder of the monastery is Osios Klimis and the financial benefactor was emperor Alexios Komninos himself, who in fact granted special privileges with his golden bull in 1106. According to Archimandrite Thotokatos and Theodoropoulou (2018), the monastery was probably part of a plan of a general imperial building program, like the Holy Monastery of Pelagia (of the same chronological period of foundation), in the neighboring Akraifnio. In the central area of the monastery of Sagmatas we have the katholikon of the holy monastery that was built also in the 12th century in a cruciform architectural style inscribed with a dome. This dome, as we see in Vogiatzis (2007), resembles the katholikon of the Tsatsari monastery, in neighboring Asopia. In the 16th century we have the construction of the exonarthex and the bell tower which is made of thin multicolored mosaics. The rarest work of its time is the floor of the church. In recent years and especially during the period of Bavaria (1834-1862) the holy monastery that had already been stripped of its treasures fell into despair. The Head of the Churches of the area decided to remove the monastery from its obscurity in spite of the building having gradually suffered material damages, due to partial abandonment.  In 1970 Holy Father of Thebes and Levadia Nikodimos and later the successor of Mr. Ieronymos (now Archbishop of Athens and all of Greece) carried out restoration programs. These renovations were so decisive that in 1977 a small fraternity was installed in the monastery. Today the monastery has a lot of visitors which consist of Greek and foreign pilgrims. Inside the monastery, there is also a chapel of St. Luke the Physician, Archbishop of Simferopol and Crimea, who is very popular among Greek and Russian flock.

The Holy Monastery of Saint Luke is situated 165 km from Athens and 32 km from Livadia. It is the most important monastery of the 11th century, built at an altitude of 450 meters, on the picturesque slope of Elikon near ancient Sterida. Having a unique art form, and also dedicated to the local Saint, the monastery, as we see in Karatzoglou (2005), became a model for the next monastic buildings throughout Greece and particularly affected the neighboring monasteries of Saint Seraphim of Domvos and Evangelistria of Aliartos. In the monastery we find surviving from the foundation of the Holy monastery, the two temples of the Virgin and the Catholic, the Crypt the bell tower and the cells of the monks. According to Guidobaldi (2003) Saint Luke died in 953, and an anonymous student wrote his memoirs in 962, giving us important information about the founding of the Monastery stating that Saint Luke had close relations with the Officials of the Area who respected him. In particular, it is stated that at the expense of Krinitis, a church dedicated to St. Barbara, which today is identified with the church of the Virgin Mary, began construction, while in a house of worship, in the shape of a cross, the Saint was buried.

The Katholikon of the monastery is the one that gives it the name "King Monastery", since the sponsorships of three Byzantine Emperors until about 1056 contributed to its construction, as reported by Conor (1993).

Arletti, Fiori and Vandini (2010) inform us that the contribution of the Holy Monastery during the years of Ottoman rule as a spiritual center for central Greece was decisive. While during the Struggle of the National Polygenesis in April 1821 the proclamation of the Revolution takes place in Boeotia in this monastery. Today in the monastery we find that remarkable spiritual work had been done that lead to an influx of many visitors, as one of the most important sights in Central Greece.

The Holy Monastery of Saint Seraphim Domvous, which is dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Savior, built at an altitude of 650 meters, overlooking the Corinthian Gulf, is located 10 km from the village of Prodromos in Thebes. It was founded by Saint Seraphim in 1598 and never stopped operating. The monastery has suffered enormous damage over time, while the relic of the Saint is kept in its place. Marcel (1957) informs us of the existence of important manuscripts of the Holy Monastery and in its library one can find a sequence with the life of Saint Seraphim but also some exceptionally beautiful Gospels of the 13th and 14th century. During the preparation of the Revolution, it was a place of training of the fighters, according to Marcel (1957), due to the fact that it is adjacent to the lair of the Revolutionaries, Dombraina. For this reason, it was looted by Omer Vryonis in 1822. According to Charitos (2001), after the Revolution, George Karaiskakis had the monastery as his base for the subsequent liberation of Roumeli in 1826.

The Holy Monastery of Makariotissis is located at an altitude of 700 meters, 7 km after Dombraina, in the valley of Dombraina and 40 km from Thebes. It is organized in a convent of about 20 monks, with the establishment of a fraternity since 1992. The foundation of the monastery is placed in the 12th century with renovations that took place in the 17th and 19th century according to Clement (1970). During the Turkish occupation, like the neighboring monastery of Domvous, the monastery of Makariotissa played a prominent role in the preparation of the fighters of the Greek Revolution. In fact, due to its contribution to General of Roumeli Karaiskakis, during the battle of Dombraina, it was burned down by the Turks in 1826. Helping the Greek nation, the Holy Monastery contributed during the Macedonian battles, with the sacrifice of the Hieromonk Chrysostom the Captain (1904-1908).  Also, during the German Occupation, the monk Agathangelos Aggelou was burned and murdered by the Germans.

At 12 km west of Aliartos we find the Holy Monastery of Evangelistria which according to Fappas and Galanakis (2013) was constructed and flourished in the years of the local Saint John of Kaloktenis, Bishop of Thebes, in the 12th century. During the years of Ottoman rule the important Crypt of the monastery became a spiritual center for the teaching of the young people of the area and a place for the protection of the relics of the monastery. The monastery spent years of complete desolation but always with a small presence of a believer. In 1834 in the Bavarian period[3], according to Kalhember (2006), all the monasteries with less than 10 monks were closed, as well as the monastery of Evagelistria. However, the Crypt of Evagelistria, which was dedicated to the Holy Trinity, contributed to the struggle against the Axis by hiding soldiers during the Second World War. There is even a letter of thanks from Colonel Alexander to the Monastery. In 1959, according to Maniatopoulos (2020), the nun Anthousa Manta organized as the first Elder, a female fraternity, which operates to this day. Elder Anthousa in the 70's gave the landowners of the area the lands of the monastery. The monastery today hosts about 25 nuns and celebrates on March 25 and August 15 each year.

Near Davlia, Boeotia, we find the Holy Monastery of the Assumption of the Virgin Irusalem, which stands at the same place as an 11th century building. It is the most important monument of Byzantine art on Mount Parnassos. In the center of the monastery is the katholikon in architectural style of a cruciform inscribed quadrangle with the addition of two pillars to the west. During the 18th century, and the period of Ottoman rule, the monastery was under the jurisdiction of the Holy Monastery of Sinai, in order to receive better treatment and to protect its property. In the Revolution that became known as “Orlofika” in 1770 the monastery received the catastrophic blow of an invasion of the Albanian - Turks. During the Greek Revolution of 1821 it played an important role according to Kalhember (2006).  Three battles were fought in the monastery at that time. In the monastery we find the cave temple of Faneromeni which was a place of practice of monasticism. Today the monastery has some exceptional samples of portable icons of the 17th century, of the Cretan School, painted by Nikolaos Kallergis[4]. The monastery celebrates on the 23rd of August every year.

 

RELIGIOUS SOUVENIRS AND TOURIST INTEREST

We are in an era of ever-increasing interest in Religious Tourism of all kinds and shades (Moira, Mylonopoulos & Kondoudaki, 2012).  Anastasiou (2008) states that religious tourism packages are short-lived and cheaper than other tourist packages. Central Greece has a fairly high traffic that as we see in Chart 1[5] below, although Greece experienced in 2013- 2016 a deep financial crisis, there was an increase in visitors. Typically, in 2013 193.104 tourists visited the region of Central Greece, with the increase being continuous and reaching in 2018 to 372.461 visitors. This increase was about 50% in just six years[6].

Chart 1

The overnight stays in the area and especially in the accommodations that have some attractions near them are constantly increasing. The economic crisis that has hit Greece since 2009 has been a key factor in the reduced arrivals in the Sterea region. In Boeotia in particular, the research data show that there is a noticeable gradual increase in traffic and overnight stays from 2006 to 2010. Typically, in 2006 overnight stays in the prefecture of Boeotia were 93.449, while there is a rapid increase, by approximately 44% in 2009 to 114% in 2009. Unfortunately, the economic crisis did not leave Boeotia unaffected.  As we see in Chart 2 in 2010 the city had the overnight stays it had around 2006, losing in one year the gradual increase it had in the previous four years[7].

Chart 2

The most important monastery of Boeotia and an UNESCO World Heritage Site is that of Saint Lukas to Steiri. The Monastery has a large number of visitors which makes it an important pilgrimage in all the Balkans. During the first years of the financial crisis (2010-2013), it had a relatively small attendance of less than twenty thousand pilgrims, as we see in Chart 3. From 2014 to 2017 we gradually see an extremely large number of visitors to the Monastery, which received in 2017 45.799 visitors, which is more than 100% more than in the years 2010-2013. In the years 2018 and 2019, the Holy Monastery of Saint Luke is visited by a large number of pilgrims over fifty thousand per year. The monastery received, like all visit able monuments around the world, the devastating blow of the corona virus pandemic. That in numbers translates to only 5.470 visitors in the year 2020.

In Chart 4 we see the jump in revenue of the Monastery which while it had 30.171€ revenue in 2010, in only nine years’ time in 2019, it jumped to 127.790€, a revenue increase of more than 400%, compared to 2010 when the Economic Crises begun. In 2020, the year of the pandemic, the Monastery had just 6.926€ in revenue[8].

 

Traffic data of St Luke’s Monastery

  

Chart 3

 

Revenue in total of St Luke’s Monastery

Chart 4

 

Many of the revenues of the holy monasteries, as we saw in Chart 4 for Saint Luke, come mainly from the shops owned by the monasteries. Various souvenirs are sold, which help in the financial income of the monasteries. The religious souvenirs function as an element of remembrance and reverence from a religious place visited at some point in the life of the pilgrim-tourist. Derived from the French language, souvenir means memory, remembrance, and as Manola (2020) states, they are bought by tourists to remind them of the place they visited. Souvenirs are samples of the culture of a Nation or place, and characterize an area as we see in Manola and Balermpa (2020).

After interviews with the Abbots of the Historical Monasteries of Boetia with open-ended questions, according to the manner followed by Katerelos and Hagifotiou (2018), we learned that remarkable work has been done to collect and distribute in the shops of the Monasteries exceptional religious memorabilia. The Monasteries are visited and many souvenirs are purchased, mainly by religious tourists, pilgrims, researchers and historians.

In Chart 5 we see what are the most important religious souvenirs received by the visitor - pilgrim from the main monasteries of Boeotia. The Holy portrayal that is usually the one that the visitors want to possess and eventually take with them, according to the Abbot of the Monastery, is that of Saint Clement. Saint Clement came from a wealthy family in Athens and at a young age became a monk. He settled on Mount Sagmatio where he became known for the miracles he performed through prayer, fasting and practice and his fame reached Emperor Alexios I Komnenos, who donated relics and estates to the Monastery. In the Holy Monastery of Saint Luke, the pilgrim will be able to take as a souvenir the Holy portrayal of Saint Luke. In the Holy Monastery of Saint Seraphim of Domvos the pilgrim will take the holy portrayal of Saint Seraphim as a souvenir and rosaries given by the monastery.  Inside the monastery operates an award-winning dairy unit whose products can serve as an agro-tourism "souvenir". While, in the monastery of the Assumption of the Virgin Jerusalem in Davlia, the Abbess Xeni tells us that the pilgrim is mainly interested in having the holy portrayal of the Virgin Mary from the Holy Monastery, but also the image of St. Jerusalem and Her Holy Children.

 

CONCLUSION

The historical holy monasteries of Boeotia need more publicity from the competent bodies. The important monasteries of the area also have some exceptional souvenirs of religious, artistic and literary value. The manuscripts of some of the monasteries can be used as a cultural product for tourism, as has been done by others, similar to the Holy Monasteries of Boeotia. Besides, as Vagianni (2008) rightly states, a high yield of a tourist product exists if the tourist market is organized at a local level. Thus, we believe that the competent political and religious bodies can take organized initiatives to promote this religious tourism product, with a more intense and modern digital look.

 

 

 

References

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