Larnaca, city of planes and mosaic angels

Larnaca, a city by sea in Cyprus where the airport is situated offers some wonderful and thrilling moments for especially those with children when you know that if you raise your head while sunbathing you will see the plane that close you think you can touch it! This is what happened to me last year (or was it 2 years ago, need to check when the pictures where taken) and I took the camera to take some shots of the event. I kept them in a file and accidentally retrieved them a couple days ago! I decide to post them along with some glorious mosaics that you can find in Larnaca. Cool right? I am talking about the byzantine mosaics of Kiti (Larnaca district) dated 11th century in a lovely church called Panagia Angeloktisti (our lady, Mother of God, built by the angels)

The main part of Panagia Aggeloktistos which means “Our Lady built by the angels”

scenic church exterior

church exterior from another angle

the promenade in Larnaca, see the palm trees, the place is dubbed "foinikoudes" (palm trees)...(I love this place!!!)

Larnaca airport (city is small, you come out the airport the sightseeing begins!)

Larnaca marina

Now, the pictures I promised from my archives. The post's top picture with the plane was also taken that day.

This beach is called Mackenzie, there are lovely restaurants flanking the beach and it is ideal for families. You can spend the entire day there, having drinks, then lunch, coffee, dinner.

A map is always useful.

Larnaca map

More info on visitcyprus and larnaca.com.

PS: 37% of the island of Cyprus is under Turkish occupation since 1974.

A sublime Ravenna mosaic

My words would be too poor to explain or convey the message of holy images. I will limit myself to say that the above mosaic detail (which utterly caught me by surprise as I have just discovered it now) comes from Ravenna, in particular San Apollinare in Classe ", Byzantine Church, dated ca. 549.

Not only this image is superb and sublime, it is also a remarkable demonstration of the outstanding, sophisticated and wise use of colour. Brown/gold with blue...isn't this one of those combinations that are still "trendy" today?

Happy Easter everybody!

Santa Prassede mosaics, Rome

Sharing with you the beauty and "vagueness" of the mosaics in Santa Prassede church / St.Zenon Chapel in Rome, one of the very few examples of Byzantine mosaics in Rome. The name prassede derives from Greek meaning the one that acts, from the Greek word πράξις (praxis), action...think of the English word practice...I think it comes from the Greek praxis..? (I have a predilection for etymology...)

If you are ever in Rome go visit this church and the St.Zenon chapel to see the mosaics.

Looking at these mosaics, it is inevitable to think of Thessaloniki (Salonica in Greece) and the Rotunda mosaics and Ravenna though I see that these mosaics are inclined to resemble the mosaics in Ravenna in terms of the colour-focused approach rather than the linear-detailed fashion of the Rotunda mosaics on which I still have to dedicate a post!

Watch this video here on Santa Prassede church.

Torcello and a tip of where to stay in #Venice

Torcello.

Exquisite, peaceful filled with a decayed yet glorious Byzantine presence of which the mosaics remain a powerful testimony.

The little bridge is called Ponte del Diavolo, Devil's bridge.

Some links for Torcello:

Brief history
Torcello near Venice
Traveling there
TORCELLO IL MILLENIO
must see (Italian version but full of spectacular photos)

Now, a little valuable tip for those wishing to go to Venice on a budget, at least accommodation wise. Once I stayed a little hotel called Riva, nothing extravagant but absolutely stylish, clean and excellent value for money. In fact I fell in love with it for many reasons one of which is that while you are having breakfast downstairs, you are just a breath away from a small canal that flanks one side of the hotel. The staircase if I remember correctly is rather narrow but ..who cares? I think it has undergone renovations recently and I trust the atmosphere has not changed.

Mosaic of the Three Wise Men - Ravenna and Constantinople Versions

Holiday season is approaching.

Is "giving" a lot wiser than receiving?
Is the act of giving pure and out of love, or just because we have to buy presents?

Just wondering....

This post is dedicated to two mosaic masterpieces.

Wise men mosaic in two versions. Ravenna and Constantinople respectively.

The first mosaic, stunning, eye catching, abundant with colours, featuring rich and intricate costumes, has balance and focuses on the wise men and their gifts. The movement is linear. There is the element of nature too and an almost tangible seducing aroma of the East.

The second mosaic has soft colours, upward movement, using few colours with virtuosity. It's dynamic. The men are in communication between each other and the "mystic" cloud on which they ride, if I "read" the picture properly, could well symbolise their worthy cause and destination.

The exotic elements in the Ravenna version show a desire to "depict" those things that were "far away" (the land where Christ was born). It is a very humble assumption based on observation that the enticing perfumes and glittering cases in the hands of the Ravenna wise men are something that was regarded "exotic" for those who lived in the West.

Two different "schools", two different "mentalities" on a common theme.

A great way to appreciate not only mosaic art but also understand the circumstances and social - geographical context of the work in question.

It is my wish to be able to produce a manual - guide on how to make mosaics via the learning from ancient mosaic masterpieces but I think it will be a far cry from my tangible non-exotic reality.

Soumela, Greece: Some mosaic highlights of a holy place

I will say little on Soumela and the place as I have been very lazy yet I have all the good reasons for not having the time to read and find out about the history but I know that it is one of the most famous destinations of pilgrimage in Greece dedicated to the Mother of God, Panagia. I am posting some pictures that I took of the interior and exterior of the church that I found most intriguing, sometimes unusually extraordinary and always highly expressive. I love the gold soothing glittering images from the interior which was very difficult to photograph....Hope you like it.

ps: All pictures taken by myself. Please do not distribute or publish without my consent. Thank you.

Patmos: The land of the Apocalypse

Patmos. The island where the Apocalypse was written. I have visited the island 4 or 5 years ago and the air you breathe there is different than any other place. Indeed a holy man had been there and a remarkable event had occurred. On the island you can view one of the few rare examples of micromosaics of all times. It's a mosaic icon of St.Nicholas located in the museum at the Monastery of St.John.

The pictures you see here are taken from picasa web and they come from personal albums. The first two wall mosaics are to be found on the exterior above an entrance to the Monastery (1st pic) and the site of the cave of the Apocalypse  (2nd pic). The 3rd picture is a view of the port town Skala. The last picture is a view of the Monastery. Mesmerising just to look at ..imagine being there!

Here's a website on Patmos with more pictures, though tiny ones, but with general information on the island

http://www.greekisland.co.uk/patmos/patmos.html

A bit more of this gem of the Greek blue seas:

panoramio.com

Places like this one are ideal for a creative life - soothe your soul and trigger inspiration - often divine, if that is what you seek.

Look for treasures beyond appearances: Florence, The Baptistery

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This just has to be very quick. I would like to post mosaics according to location so I decided to start with Florence which is not very far from where I live and because something made me recall these specific mosaics. A spectacular place that people enchanted with the town know and recognise for its exterior and for the gilded bronze doors.

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If you are visiting Florence go to the Baptistery to see these mosaics and let them mesmerise you for a while. You will begin wondering how on earth where they made. Well. I always asked myself this question when I see Hagia Sofia mosaics, Ravenna, Monreale in Sicily, or the endless mosaic floors in Paphos in Cyprus to name a few examples. But the people back then lived indeed in "different times". No wrist watches, no mobile phones, no crazy agendas. They did this obviously as a means to survive but they were devoted to their art no matter how long it took them. There were those who were simple technicians and those who designed, or the supervisors. Today we would have to fit all these skills into one. And become somewhat lunatic, maybe restless and completely distracted. Multi-tasking? Oh. It has to become second nature otherwise you are nothing. Not a true artist. But consider that with mosaics apart from the designing process you need to know about additives, cement, cutting tools and techniques, liquids etc. This is why I think that in the past, it was better, except for one flaw: anonymity and perhaps another one: bad working conditions. But right now in my life I would not mind if someone said "come decorate a church and for the next 3 years we cover all your costs"! (especially if that church was in an idyllic place and I can think of many).

G-old Venice

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On the occasion of St.Mark's being today I wanted to post some images are from St.Mark's in Venice, my favourite Italian city, a landmark for Byzantine art in Italy and an echo of a past that "refuses to bury its dead."