Oddball
Churches: Panayia
Plataniotissa, Παναγίας της Πλατανιώτισσας) in Plataniotissa
Plataniotissa
is near enough to the Mega Spileio monastery as the crow flies but those using cars will find the route
somewhat more complicated. It can be
reached from the Egion- Kalavrita road via Valta (Βάλτα) but the
most spectacular approach is from the sea, taking a road 4.5 km west of Diαkopton on the
old national road and south through Boufouskia (Μπουφούσκια). A little stretch of dirt road ( well looked
after) is worth it just to be so close to the spectacular cliffs looming over
the road and to say that you passed through a village called the Bloated Bull. At journeys end you will be rewarded by two
churches and restaurants ( open every day in summer and winter weekends)
serving wonderful food (including boiled
goat – delicious) in the shade of plane
trees right beside the churches. Feast day: The Nativity of Mary Sep 8th) Usually open
every day but I am putting in Father Theodoros Deligiannis’ phone numbers if,
in the off season, you want to check
first: tel: 26920 23129, 6945448995
6945448995
6945448995
Churches
all over Greece vary in size, and materials, but Panagia Plataniotissa adds a
new wrinkle. It is entirely contained in the bole of a plane tree, can
accommodate 20 people in a pinch and may be the only tree anywhere with a floor
tiled in blue and white.
Nestled in a pretty valley in the village of
Plataniotissa , this church appeals from the get go. Its proximity to a small river assures the lush
growth of the plane trees, called Platάnia in Greek. Of course there is a story…
One stormy night in 840 the miracle working icon of
Mary (Theotokos ) was being taken from Patras
back to its 'home' church Mega Spileo. At the tiny village of Klapatsouna
(Κλαπατσούνα) it was placed in this hollow
tree overnight to save it from the storm.
In the morning, an exact replica of the
icon was impressed in the wood of the tree opposite from where it had been
hung. This now has a large frame around
it and, if you squint, you can still see it – a miracle itself after 1200 years of tree
growth.
I put in the original from Mega Spileio, created by the evangelist Saint Luke himself, to help
you out a bit. (Παναγίας Βρεφοκρατούσας, Virgin and Child)
The
Lilliputian sanctuary is a delight; it is on the east wall. It begins at chest height
and looks a bit like the stage of a Punch and Judy show. But it contains all of
the necessary equipment just where it should be. The tiny and beautifully painted iconostasis has two
columns demarcating the three areas in the sanctuary and curtains to keep them
private.
Trees do not have domes but whoever was in charge of
the church decoration has placed a small wooden plaque just where a dome should be, - with a Pantocrator too!
Note the sprouting green leaves.
This tree has been tidied up considerably from years
ago when the entrance door was old rusty metal, a red fire extinguisher stood
handy in the doorway, and all of the
little votive offering – tamata,
prayer beads, and even bits of jewellry were strung out on strings under the
icon.
Now there is a large metal candle holder outside filled
with sand, a sign strictly forbidding lighting candles inside the church, and
the votives have all been captured neatly inside a large glass topped case. All that would be fine if it were not for the
new door….
Ah well.
Inside the tree, in just about every nook and cranny
findable, are tiny scrunched up papers with prayers to the Panagia. There must
be hundreds of them. This icon is still believed to be capable of miracles. That
somehow makes up for the door.
Stand back and
look at the church in its entirety and you will see that the nave of the church is formed by three
trees that merged into one. This striking symbol of the Trinity has not gone
unnoticed. In typical fashion, those
seeking meaning find it and the four Plane trees surrounding the church are
said to represent the four evangelists.
The Stone Church Beside the Tree
The rectangular
stone church dedicated to the Dormition
of Mary (Κοίμησεως τῆς Θεοτόκου) next to Panagia Plataniotissa
does not look like much from the outside but it is a little gem on the inside and should not be missed. It has lost its barrel vault but its wall
paintings dated at 1745 are plentiful and wonderful to “read”. Even I guessed the date of the wall paintings.
Those figures floating on fluffy clouds on the west wall are the give-away. Especially charming are the
filler decorations: The yellow-pink
roses that are between the medallions of the saints, in the sanctuary and
elsewhere, can actually be seen in the
gardens of the villages between Plataniotissa and the coast. One or more of the
painters may have been local. The
present church cannot be dated with any certainty before 1700 but be assured
that there would have been an earlier a chapel next to the tree in order to
receive pilgrims.
The skirting around the walls (That area of between
the floor under the icon paintings) is worth
close scrutiny as are the filler decorations on the walls. Like the Mycenaens, these painters hated an empty space and had
all sorts of filler decorations at the ready: squiggles, medallions, coloured lines, flora
and fauna.
the roses
I can’t claim to have seen the birds in the
neighbourhood , but you can give it a try.
A view towards the sanctuary
The Palaeologan
double headed eagle on the right of the above picture did not come into
vogue until the thirteenth century but, as a symbol of the Orthodox Church, it
is depicted everywhere after that.
The saints in
the nave are lined up with depictions of the Twelve Great Feasts and Bible stories above:
Panayia Platytera (She who is wider than the heavens) is in the semi-dome of the apse as
she should be. In fact this church is a textbook rendition of the iconic program.
Notice in the niche of the Prothesis,
(on the left in the sanctuary)
the depiction of Christ rising from his tomb.
On the
western wall is a wonderful rendition of Revelations –
the tortures and the serpent but I am not going to spoil the anticipation by
putting in pictures. I hope you will visit.
When you do, you might want to figure out what the slot that looks
like it is for mail is doing in the Diaconion.(to the right of the sanctuary) It has me stumped.
One of the pleasures of revisiting churches like
Panagia Plataniotissa is to chat with other visitors, the locals, and a priest
if one is available. It may take a few more bowls of boiled goat to get the
answer to this little mystery…….
pretty awesome!!
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