Casondra's Adventures: August 29, 2015: Church and Monastery in the hills, Skopelos

August 29, 2015: Church and Monastery in the hills, Skopelos

Copyright Casondra Sobieralski, 2015. Please contact photographer for permission to use.

This batch of photos represents my fifth day's exploration -- part 2 -- of the Island of Skopelos, where I did a 2.5 week artist-in-residency at the ever-enchanting Skopelos Foundation for the Arts.

I was really there to do a video installation, so these photos were just my way of exploring and establishing a sense of place.

I hiked to a small church, and then a big monastery, on a 100-degree day. It was a long uphill trek to the monastery -- about 5 miles -- in the scorching heat. It was definitely worth the effort. The monastery is being restored, and the interior is all guilt in gold. Whereas the monastery featured on the first day was run by a cranky monk, this one was run by the sweetest, kindest, bearded nun who stood about four feet + two inches tall. When she learned I walked up that big hill from town, she started stuffing home-grown plumbs in my pocket. She came back to me for three rounds of pocket stuffing. She said most people drive.

(Note, the monastery was very dim inside. If you ever go, take a tripod. I didn't have one and it was a missed opportunity.)

First pictures though, are from the small church full of icons. There were only 3 seats in this little chapel, and the grandma energy was palpable. The toughness, the unconditional love, the prayers for babies, the neighborhood chatter -- you could feel the leftover energy of it all.

Remember, you can click on these thumbnails to see large versions.

THE SMALL CHURCH