{"id":10976,"date":"2022-11-15T14:38:28","date_gmt":"2022-11-15T14:38:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ulysses.travel\/hosios-loukas-greece\/"},"modified":"2024-07-16T14:43:05","modified_gmt":"2024-07-16T14:43:05","slug":"hosios-loukas-greece","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ulysses.travel\/en\/hosios-loukas-greece\/","title":{"rendered":"The Byzantine Monastery of Hosios Loukas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Nestled in the mountains of Boeotia, a few kilometers from Delphi, the Monastery of Hosios Loukas (“Saint Luke”, also spelled Ossios Loukas or Osios Loukas) is at the top of the list of the most beautiful Byzantine monasteries in Greece!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Follow the guide!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\ud83d\udca1 Hot Tips<\/strong> \ud83d\udca1<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\ud83d\udca4 Accommodations:<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong> in Delphi<\/a>, in the Peloponnese<\/a> and in Athens<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\ude97 Car Rental:<\/strong> compare the deals<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83c\udfdb Plan Your Stay:<\/strong> The Complete Guide to the Peloponnese<\/a> and The Complete Guide to Athens <\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Brief history of Hosios Loukas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Careful: Hosios Loukas is not to be confused\nwith his namesake, Saint Luke the Evangelist! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Born in 896, the Saint Luke of Ossios Loukas was a Greek hermit\nwho decided in 945 to build a monastery on the massif of Helicon,\non the site of an ancient temple dedicated to the Greek goddess Demeter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Known for his mysterious healing powers, the hermit (nicknamed\nLuke the Stiriot, the Venerable Luke or Luke the Thaumaturgist) surrounded himself with disciples\nand attracted the favors (and financial support) of wealthy\ndignitaries, who helped him build a church dedicated to Saint Barbara (Agia\nVarvara<\/em> in Greek). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saint Luke died in 953, two years before the church was completed. His bones are preserved in a reliquary which visitors can still see today in the crypt of the Monastery of Hosios Loukas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\ud83e\udd14 The prophecy of St. Luke \ud83e\udd14<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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During his lifetime, the future Saint Luke predicted that Crete, then under Arab domination, would soon be freed from the yoke of its invader! No sooner said than done (or almost…): 8 years after the death of the saint, his prophecy came true! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s all it took to make the monastery of Hosios Loukas famous!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In 1011, a second church, the catholicon<\/em>, was\nerected in the Monastery of Hosios Loukas, in honor of its holy creator,\nSt Luke. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 15th<\/sup> century, the Latin monks settled in\nmonastery were replaced by orthodox monks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1460, when Greece was invaded by the Turkish army, the\nreliquary of Saint Luke was sent to Venice. It would stay in Italy until\n1986, when it was finally returned to the Monastery of Hosios Loukas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1990, the monastery of Hosios Loukas was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site\n(together with the monastery of Daphni and the monastery Neo Moni of\nChios). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hosios<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Visiting Hosios Loukas<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With its sumptuous gold-backed mosaics and rich marble pavements, the Monastery of Hosios Loukas has a touch of the grandeur of St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice<\/a> or Hagia Sophia in Istanbul… albeit on a much smaller scale, of course!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before entering the monastery, take a minute to\nlinger outside and enjoy the spectacular\nscenery!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Panorama<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Monastery<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Church of the Theotokos (= the Virgin Mary)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Built between 945 and 953, the Church of the Theotokos (formerly dedicated to St. Barbara) is the oldest building in the monastery of Hosios Loukas. It is an excellent example of medieval Byzantine decorative architecture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outside the church, look closely at the friezes and\nyou’ll surely decipher symbols that do not look like the Greek alphabet:\nthese are kufic characters, a style of Arabic calligraphy. These\ncharacters were indeed often used as ornaments in byzantine buildings,\nnot for their meaning, but rather for their aesthetics. They\nare often qualified as pseudo-kufic characters, since they only seek to\nimitate the Arabic calligraphy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inside the church, be sure to take some time to admire the marble pavement, the white-marble iconostasis,\nthe traces of the original wall paintings, as well as the\n10th<\/sup> century frescoes representing\nJesus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Katholikon<\/em> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Built at the beginning of the 11th<\/sup> century, the Katholikon<\/em> is a large church dedicated to the creator of the monastery: Saint Luke. It is connected to the Church of the Theotokos: this configuration is very surprising and can be explained by the monks’ desire to facilitate the passage of pilgrims from one building to another. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Katholikon<\/em> is famous for the incredible richness\nof its mosaics, pavements, and murals, most of which are incredibly\nwell preserved. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Crypt<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Located under the Katholikon<\/em>, the Crypt was built\nto accommodate the remains of\nSaint Luke. Dedicated to Saint Barbara, it presents striking wall paintings\nthat are definitely worth a visit! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The refectory<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Located near the ticket office, the old refectory has been\nconverted into a small museum. Visitors can admire architectural fragments of\nof the monastery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Hosios<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Visitor Tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Getting to Hosios Loukas<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

From Delphi<\/a>, the Monastery of Osios Loukas is about 35 kilometers \/ 20 miles away, which is a 40 to 45-minute drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To get to Hosios Loukas from Athens, the easiest is: <\/p>\n\n\n\n