This is the second installment in my photo journal of the places I inhabit here in the Norfolk, Va area.
I have lived in the area since 1985, and my first exposure to a "Greek Fest" had nothing to do with folks from a Mediterranean Island. Nope , mine was the infamous 1988, Greek Fest, in Virginia beach, made infamous in PE's song Welcome To the Terror dome. Needless to say the Greek Fest held at the Greek Orthodox Church on Granby Street has never seen a phalanx of National Guards men beating the shit out of festival goers with batons. Nope this Greek Fest is a celebration not of college fraternity's, but a celebration of Greek culture.
Over the past five or six years I have made it a point to attend the Greek fest. Although I never have enough money to eat and buy all I want, it's always a enjoyable experience.
The food, although a bit expensive, is well worth the trip. If you want to avoid the crowd they provide a drive thru food service that always seems to produce an unending line of cars from the moment they open until they shut down for the evening. Yeah, I could go to the three or four Greek restaurants in the area, but the food always seems to taste better in the authentic festive atmosphere. As delicious as the food and wine taste, it is the art of the Greek Orthodox tradition that draws me to attend every year. I can never get enough of the beauty, detail, and power of Greek Orthodox paintings. One need not practice religion to appreciate the power of the art and how it speaks to our humanity. So this year I strapped on the camera for my annual pilgrimage and tried to capture the inspiring works of art inside the two sanctuaries.
The next few pictures are of the stain glass windows in the main chapel. To me they are awe inspiring. Their size and detail give the sanctuary its sense of being the conduit of something bigger then ourselves. This I think runs through eastern religions, even in Islam, the scale of the art in the Masjids gives a sense of spirituality that moves me, but is impossible to articulate. I guess some would call it "the spirit moving."
(My Wis looking upward for direction)
My fascination with Christian art, particularly Catholic, Greek and Ethiopian Orthodox, came during my youth while living in Spain. I remember visiting massive cathedrals lined with gold and some of the most inspiring paintings I have ever seen. I was completely blown away by the detailed craftsmanship of everything from the pillars to the pews. The time and commitment from the community in building these structures, often times over a couple of generations, to me, symbolises mans ability to unite. When I stood in those cathedrals as a child the opulence and scale not only spoke to the praise of something higher, but also served as a reminder as to our size in the grand scheme of existence.
When viewing these paintings one can almost smell the incense waifing through the air, along with murmured chanting in ancient Greek.
(Above is the front of the Church above the pulpit)
(This is in the foyer of the main chapel, I believe)
This and the one that follows is from the ceiling of the smaller chapel. When you look up to this the blue background truly gives you the sense of the sky. Looking up to this provides the same sense of tranquility as looking into a summer night when the stars seem within grasp.
When looking above and beholding such beautiful art, it makes for an easy transition to a meditative state.
(Above is in the front of the smaller chapel, behind the pulpit)
(This piece hangs inside the smaller chapel)
This painting is captivating to me for both its detail and power. I can stare at it for hours.
The babies keeping their traditions alive.
1 comment:
Quiet as kept, despite how I feel about the religion, I loved the color, architecture and so forth of those old churches.
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