Replicas are intricate and beautiful works of art, such as the ship Icons, popular dedications include replicas of ships. Safe return to the Saint, often dedicate items in anticipation and gratitude. Seamen who leave for the faraway seas, and those who attribute their This belief isĬlearly depicted in the iconography of any church dedicated to Him. Pulled and saved from shipwrecks by the Saint. Folklore abounds with accounts of seafarers being Iconography and ecclesiastical art dedicated to St. Indeed, this is by far my favorite and most memorable image of this Kefalonian attraction, and one that alleviates my guilt for overly showcasing the obvious.īut habits are hard to break, so here’s the rest of that obvious. Both were placed atop a simple, though a bit inappropriate in design, serving tray so as to protect the old bench from possible oil stains! This simple but genuinely beautiful composition competed on an equal basis with the geometric pattern of the traditional floor tiles. A simple household glass-not a Tiffany or crystal utensil-held the olive oil, and an aromatic beeswax candle-used to reach and light the wick-rested on the side. Nicholas (Svoronata, Kefalonia): Traditional oil candle (foreground) and ornate floor tiles (background)Ī battered wooden bench-not an intricate or fancy hand-carved stool-served as a resting hub for the makeshift oil candle that defiantly claimed its place among the exquisite chandeliers and bronze candle holders. On second thought, maybe it was the only thing that was in the right place…Ĭharacteristic Eastern Orthodox church fittings at St. Having done so and turning to leave, I noticed an unpretentious composition, sitting in the middle of the floor, that seemed out of place in this showcase church of elegance, ornamentation, and artistic excess. One could spend hours here gazing at and photographing the numerous objects and forms of ecclesiastic art. It is a huge cathedral with one of the tallest bell towers of Kefalonia, an grandiose interior, a mezzanine, and embellished decoration from front to back and top to bottom. That is when I began to see rather than just look-and it must have been in the Church of St. Many a time- in my photographic adventures or “missions” to record the island’s attractions for work-related projects-I found myself filling memory cards with hundreds of images of undeniably photogenic elements.īut not without a degree of guilt I felt that I cheated myself (and my readers) since I was capturing the obvious. The bell towers are tall, distinctive and unattached from the church itself following the dictates of western architectural style rather than that of the eastern Orthodox tradition.
Most Kefalonian churches and chapels house unique treasures of great artistic merit in the form of elaborate ceilings, stunning Byzantine iconography and frescoes, old portable icons painted by well-known artists, historical manuscripts, and stunning wood-carved iconostases featuring intricate baroque elements.