Εξόρμηση στο Φαράγγι του Λούσιου

Fishing trout at Lousios river. Arcadia, Peloponnese
Fishing trout at Lousios river. Arcadia, Peloponnese

After spending a beautiful night  at the Asclepieio of Gortys we decided to join Rennate and George, a German couple we met the day before, for a morning hike at Lousios gorge. Christos went fishing trout at the river.

We first headed towards the Prodromou Monastery. The path goes through the gorge near the Lousios river. The scenery is spectacular. High rocks over our heads. Wild and noisy river as it rushes through the rocky terrain creating small waterfalls.

Hiking at Lousios gorge. Arcadia, Peloponnese, Greece
Hiking at Lousios gorge. Arcadia, Peloponnese, Greece

The Prodromou Monastery at Lousios Gorge

The path goes uphill after passing the bridge. Time for some deep breathing! I was sweating when we reached the monastery. Luckily the first thing we encountered was a spring with tasty cool water.

The Prodromou Monastery at Lousios gorge. Arcadia, Peloponnese
The Prodromou Monastery at Lousios gorge. Arcadia, Peloponnese

The Prodromou monastery, established during the 16th century, is well preserved, built on a huge rock which acts as a shelter. It’s a male monastery and as in all monasteries, women have to be dressed properly to enter. There’s a collection of clothes hanging at the yard, in front of the main entrance.

The main gate to the Prodromou Monastery full of bullet holes. Arcadia, Peloponnese
The main gate to the Prodromou Monastery full of bullet holes. Arcadia, Peloponnese

The impressive old rusty door, full of bullet holes, was closed. It seems that we arrived too early and the monks were praying at the church.

We decided to visit the nearby church of Saint Athanasios. Seated a bit higher than the monastery, it offers a panoramic view of the gorge and the monasteries of Philosophou build at the other side of the gorge.

Philosophou monastery at Lousios gorge (963 AD). Arcadia, Peloponnese
Philosophou monastery at Lousios gorge (963 AD). Arcadia, Peloponnese

Back to the Prodromou monastery and the old door is open now. The long hallway leads to an upgoing stair.

The main gate to the Prodromou Monastery full of bullet holes. Lousios gorge, Arcadia, Peloponnese
The main gate to the Prodromou Monastery full of bullet holes. Lousios gorge, Arcadia, Peloponnese

 

The view from the balcony to the gorge is amazing. Pretty high too. The river hum is loud.

Bells at Prodromou Monastery. Arcadia, Peloponnese
Bells at Prodromou Monastery. Arcadia, Peloponnese

There’s a small church almost inside a cave in the monastery. Cool, low light, old paintings on the rocky walls.

An iconography on the cave wall at Prodromou monastery. On the painting is sculpted the build date APXZ and reign of Emmanuel Komninos. Arcadia, Peloponnese
An iconography on the cave wall at Prodromou monastery. On the painting is sculpted the build date APXZ and reign of Emmanuel Komninos. Arcadia, Peloponnese

A monk offered us coffee and loukoumi, a chewy candy dusted in powdered sugar.

The stairs leading to the yard of the Prodromou Monastery. Arcadia, Peloponnese
The stairs leading to the yard of the Prodromou Monastery. Arcadia, Peloponnese

The Philosophou Monastery at Lousios Gorge

On the path again towards the old Philosophou monastery, the oldest monastery in Arcadia, and one of the oldest byzantine monuments in the country, established in 963 AC. It’s all ruins now since it got abandoned in 1836. Really impressive!

Exploring the ruins of Philosophou monastery, 10th century AD. Lousios gorge, Arcadia, Peloponnese
Exploring the ruins of Philosophou monastery, 10th century AD. Lousios gorge, Arcadia, Peloponnese

Build like a swallow nest on the huge rock and fortified with high walls, its’ only entrance has been a narrow one-man path that could cause a real problem to people with acrophobia. Now there’s a new stair with railings, ugly but practical. That’s all about conservation. Sadly, the remains of the building are left to demolish. It’s interesting to observe the ruins of the small room over the stair that leads to the church. It’s so small! Everything is too small for modern standards. The door, the windows, the fireplace. Those who lived in this must have been very lean and agile. The byzantine church inside the monastery is a small and beautiful piece of architecture.

The Assumption of Mary church inside the Prodromou monastery. Lousios gorge, Arcadia, Peloponnese
The Assumption of Mary church inside the Prodromou monastery. Lousios gorge, Arcadia, Peloponnese

Back to the path towards the new Philosophou monastery. After some minutes of walk we pass the entrance of the monastery. It’s well preserved, interesting buildings and nice view over the gorge. There’s a liturgy going on in the church. Calliope and Renatte went inside to join the other people in the church.

Iconography inside the church of the Assumption of Mary. Philosophou monastery, Arcadia, Peloponnese
Iconography inside the church of the Assumption of Mary. Philosophou monastery, Arcadia, Peloponnese

On our way back walking on the path through the gorge we are feeling hungry. All this walking in nature had its effect.

Time for a picnic under the shadow of the plane trees sitting next to the river. Two huge greek salads with plenty of olive oil, feta cheese and barley rusks replenish our energy stores. A dive in the rivers’ cold waters has been refreshing afterwards. The ARCADIA experience!

Ο Θεόδωρος Παπαγεωργίου είναι επαγγελματίας φωτογράφος και ζει στην Τρίπολη Αρκαδίας. Εμπνευσμένος από τα τοπία της Ελλάδας, επικεντρώνεται σε εικόνες που εξυμνούν την ανθρώπινη συνείδηση ως εκλεπτυσμένη δημιουργία της φύσης. Σκοπός του είναι η δημιουργία έργων, όλα τα στάδια παρασκευής των οποίων, όπως η λήψη της εικόνας, η επεξεργασία της, η επιλογή χαρτιών και η εκτύπωση, να γίνονται από τον ίδιο τον δημιουργό, προκειμένου τα υλικά χαρακτηριστικά του κάθε έργου να δρουν ενισχυτικά στο φωτογραφικό ίχνος.

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