"PASSAGES THROUGH PARADISE" "script by Andreas Tsekos directed by Yannis Lambrou" "A few years ago, four monks set off from Thessaloniki to live.." "in the abandoned skete ( minor monastery ) of Saint Andreas." "A new communal order set about the task of restoring it." "My friend, the monk Theofilos who was with them... slept in the place he had come to love." "Father Pavlos, the prior of the skete." ""Serai" , the name by which the skete is known... by the monks of Mount Athos." ""Sei-rai" in Russian, which translated into Greek... means "this paradise"." "The smell of incense wafts over Karyes." "The scent of cedar and chestnut logs burning in the fireplaces envelops you." "A small village in the heart of Mount Athos, the capital... the Protaton." "You chop the carrots and I'll add the bay leaves." "Father Andreas..." "A Father with his two sons on Mount Athos." "A tradition in the history of monasticism... lt was a stirring reality." "A laic relationship transformed into something more spiritual." "The responsibility for trapeza ( refectory )." "Flavours and smells from the garden of the Virgin." "So the varnish is quite thick here... so you need to continue cleaning mechanically... then we'll coat it with the thinner." "Scraping, cleaning, strokes of the paintbrush, fine sounds that soothe you in the old workshop." "A powerful contact, an initiation for all those... who wish to enter the spirit of incomparable Byzantine Art." "Many damaged icons, not only those of the skete... but from monasteries and cells ( dependencies ) arrive here." "They await the hour when they will he returned intact... so as to withstand the ravages of time." "For us Father Prodromos was "the Way"..." "He really was the monk who opened the way for us... to tour Mount Athos." "The holy water of Saint Athanasius of Athos... was an obligatory stop along the way." "The traveller will always find bread, olives, even coffee... on his way to the monastery of Great Lavra." "A monk took us to worship in the place where it all began... on the Holy Mountain... the monastery of Great Larva, the oldest on Mount Athos." "We worshipped and drank raki in the archontariki (guesthouse ).." "and then after a brief visit to see unique relics... we began our journey back." "Glory be to Him who showed us the Light." "Somewhere high up in a cell at Karyes, matins have begun." "The day begins with the morning service... the " divine liturgy" , the first Eucharist." ""l am the light of the world".." "He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness... but will live in the light of life.." "Every journey has its own secrets." "Very often it is not until the end... that you discover the reasons that led you to take it." "You perceive the essence of the events you have witnessed." "When reality has vanished from before you... and the moments along, guided by memory, return to mind." "On Mount Athos the relationship between life and time... is something enthralling." "Man is not worn by the pasage of time because man passes... through the time that saves, "the time of repentance"... and is renewed." "Karyes was the end of the road for the old bus." "From here on for all those who had not stayed behind... in the coastal monasteries, a new journey begins." "Here dispersion and wandering stop." "So do social exchanges." "After this everything is a gift from the garden of the Virgin." "Spring comes late." "Thoughts of winter spring forth from the fog... and action gives way to vision." "It brings hope once the decision is made." "Around me everything is an enigma." "Cracks everywhere, ruins, the passages of time." "You see signs and pretexts and you live moments that belong... one might say..." "in the realm of the lnvisible." "It resembles a sealstone in the hands of a nobleman... or a chrismatory..." "the church of Saint Antony... along the lines of Saint Sophia." "The vision extends the limits of endurance..." "Everything can be reset when there's willpower and patience." "Day by day as time goes by the place embraces you." "The ruins, the steel frames of the beds... humbly ask to participate in the dream." "The ask for the body of some layman or monk to give it rest." "Bent rails, huge cauldrons, ovens built like domes... were used for fires... but it was by fire that they were all destroyed one day." "The pharmacy and the photography workshop... and the wing and Saint Andreas and the weeds and the yard... everything will be fixed little by little." "Once when the skete had almost 800 monks... the needs were different." "I am the vineyard and you are the vines, saith the Lord." "The footsteps and voices of monks and laymen... are often heard right over the well." "ln 1 867 based on plans drawn up by Professor Sergei Surupov... of the St. Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts... and with the Greek architect Christodoulou as the builder... the foundations of the church of Saint Andreas are laid." "The church iconostasis is of solid gold, imposing... with tiers of icons painted in Russia... donated by one lnnocentius, a wealthy Russian nobleman who became a monk." "A different Orthodox view of art... the Russian school at the turn of the century." "Great works that nevertheless match their surroundings." "A change in point of view." "A moving icon." "The Virgin enthroned with the infant Christ radiates." "Father Andreas' greatest ministration." "Worship, the guided tour, unique events... references to miracles." "Art... a light in the darkness." "The expression of the soul and the spirit." "The great icon of Christ Pantepoptis... from the icon screen in the monastery of lviron... the work of Theophanes, the Cretan, has long been... in the workshop of the skete of Saint Andreas." "I set down the embroidery and go out." "A forgotten door slams noisilu at the passage of a gust... that blows through the corridors of Saint Andreas." "I glance through doors and windows." "I stumble over dilapidated beds." "Not a single light." "Everything is quiet and explosive." "I walk and the ground vibrates under my feet." "The skete is a ten minute walk from Karyes... a daily route for Father Pavlos." "Axion Esti (Worthy is he ) who truly beatifies thee..." "Mother of God... the Virgin in the middle of her garden." "The miracle-working icon was in its natural place... in the chancel of the Panseptos Church of the Virgin in Karyes." "Apart from the sketes and the monasteries... there are also the cells..." "miniature monasteries..." "Every cell has its own chapel, guest quarters, a special place for embroidery, its own garden." "We walked down from Karyes heading eastwards... and reached the Lavra cell of the tailors." "We found Father Nectarios bending over his embroidery." "The hieromonk, Father Maximus." "Piles of sacred canonicals." "The gold-embroidered vestments of hieromonks... that still bear the fragrance of holy bodies... the scent of incense." "We spent many hours with him in the church..." "We touched something special." "The unique frescoes on Mount Athos by Emmanuel Panselinos.." "the legendary painter of holy icons... whose paintings have the "light of the moon"... according to Dionysios Fournas." "The cassock is the monk's only vestment." "He must wear it for the rest of his life." "That is the rule." "Like the pencil of memory, the sewing-machine continues to write into the centuries." "We're getting on in years." "That's right." "What can we expect." "What will be will be." "We were born here." "We'll grow old here." "As long as we still have our brains and our eyes... lndeed but that is God's will." "His will be done." "May I just have a little water." "Yes, of course, anything you like." "Blessed be it." "Take your time." "I have lots to do." "I spend a lot of time farming.." "then there's my sewing." "and we also have the visitors." "The scattered pages of a life." "Precious remnants of memory... preserved by time from the fury of fire and humidity." "Everything here is in piles." "Diverse information in Russian, Serbian, Rumanian... some useful, some indifferent." "Everything to be sorted out, to be looked at again... for a new beginning." "The careful study of the work of Emmanuel Panselinos... is an education in itself for those engaged in iconography." "Looking at it from very close, isolating it piece by piece... you " read" it a different way." "New things about a distant era, about some legend, about a school of icon painters." "See how that goes..." "the movement there..." "The knee in relation to the leg." "Time leaves scars." "And time heals them again." "One of Father Prodromos' tasks afforded us the pretext.." "for us to follow him once more." "Awe and admiration are the words that perhaps describe... what we felt when we found ourselves... in this majestic wonder of Byzantine Art." "Faith, patience, constant struggle... these are the prerequisites for attaining the heights... for entry into timeless eternity." "I think that there's no past and no present." "Everything existed, exists and will exist." "All these things, the little keys, the little iron bolts, the little cups... are nothing but consolation." "It's like some friend who comes and leaves you something... which when you touch it or look at it reminds you of him." "ln the same way here these are the traces, the signs... of those living in death." "The dust of oblivion covers everything." "The lethargy of time in objects scattered here and there... that have now no purpose." "Movement caught in the cobwebs, tries to break free." "As sunset approaches the Elder is in his place." "Little by little his handiwork progresses." "A last look, a last contact with a work of today, of tomorrow and of yesterday." "The teacher doesn't forget no matter how much time goes by." "Only one thing doesn't exist, says the poet, forgetfulness." "God who rescues the metal also saves the rust." "Laic time is a countdown, a repetition." "Spiritual time which is time par excellence here... and which is what we experience, is a quality." "Here on the Holy Mountain a day is not 24 hours." "A day here begins with matins and ends with vespers." "A sequence of services, prayers, chants... union with God, searching with God." "Christ Pantepoptis." "The wondrous icon by Theophanes the Cretan... shone that afternoon in the courtyard of the skete." "Fallen leaves, bare trees..." "Autumn..." "Nature's vestments clads the landscape with other colours." "As winter draws near the wild animals approach the monks." "A difficult time lies ahead." "Food becomes scare in nature." "Near men there is hope." "We set off for the monastery of Vatopedio." "We never got there... just saw it in the distance." "The weather was turning bad and we had another mission." "The tower keep down by the sea brought back memories... of our summer visit to the monastery of lvirion." "The last preparations for winter." "Breathing becomes heavier for buildings and living things." "We didn't find the abbot Father Vassilios... but the monks gave us their blessing for our quest." "Only the sound of the saw spoke of today." "The rest was the same as 1 ,000 years ago." "My entry into the Holy Moutain was something... that was achieved gradually." "The first time you will be impressed by things... you will gradually overcome." "It's like a relationship where as time goes by... you seek something deeper and more spiritual." "What makes it different is its character, sadness and joy... thirst and quench, emtpiness and satiety." "The night goes by and the rain continues." "The agony of anticipation reaches a climax... like the belfry of St. Andreas that appears about to cease... something beyond the temporal as it looms up... and disappears in the mist of the night." "ln the watery mirrors of the body, of the rain... the wind played to its own rhythm... lt seemed as though the rainbow had given the order." "We were all there." "The handiwork had been ready for some time." "All that was left was that it take the place... that rightfully belonged to it... in some part of time." "This lower part will go this way." "Through there..." "tilt it a little... so it slides into place." "A little further back..." "The Eldder's hours carved in the crosses." "His endurance and patience forged onto the steel bars." "A gate on the road of a life that was closing... at the same time opening a new road... towards something else, a vision, small or great." "A light goes on in the tunnel of time." "A soul climbs up the heights of space." "Everything must be done in its time." "Wonder and admiration for the works of MAN." "The huge bell of St. Andreas has lain here for years... waiting for the hour when it will be roused from its sleep." "It waits for the moment when its sounds will spread sweetly, as they did in the days of its first youth." "The sounds of material beings, the sounds of metal like sounding-boards... echo in the courtyard." "Like the percussion instruments of an orchestra... the bells, small and large, affirm their readiness..." "Each one of them peals its hidden secrets in is own way." "It was an optical illusion." "It was a real moment." "We were duly enlightened." "Souls are sorely tried in the white icy atmosphere." "After that everything was easy." "When we got there Father Makarios also arrived... with his horse which he had lost since the previoius night." "But he said he wasn't worried since it was a misdeed..." "Hector often committed." "The cauldron for distillation was on the fire since daybreak." ""Raki" is a great tradition on Mount Athos." "It takes patience and know-how." "We spent almost the whole day with him." "Before vespers he had prepared a large quantity of " raki"." "It was part of his blessing for tomorrow's great feast." "From the eve of the feast the snow had begun to fall." "The wood crackling in our fireplace woke us up at dawn." "Father Makarios' work at the fair was important..." "The Trapeza." "A festive day, emotional... the monastic community, a great brotherhood." "Pilgrims, laymen participate in their own way... in the feast of St. Andreas." "All the material creations, icons, churches... express the same thing in their own way." "They convey the same message of supplication... in their own language." "And the fact that everything unites and co-officiates... convinces you of the truth and consoles you." "There is no discordant note and nothing remains outside... harmonious co-officiation for the salvation of the universe." "And the question remains:" "ls the Athonite state a dream or a reality?" "The divine liturgy is over." "Everyone is hungry." "The tables are set for everyone." "Spring had summoned us to Mount Athos once again." "The garden of the Virgin, a brightly coloured rug." "The beginning of a new cycle of life." "Another of Nature's transformations." "The power of the water etched in the dirt road." "A different atmosphere on the mountain." "The Russian monastery of St. Panteleimon from another angle." "ln the background the monastery of Xenophontos... has stood loftily for centuries." "A jewel by the sea, an edifice of eternal architecture... a true fortress of the Orthodox faith." "The song of the waterfall." "The sounds of the water and the stone." "A moment for the monk's mental prayer." "On the eve of every great feast the Athonites lay wreaths." "They say that the souls of those laid to rest... come down on earth for fifty days... from the moment of Christ's resurrection... and take part in their own way in men's life and work." "Come and receive the Light." "A night of resurrection, full of life-giving lights." "A night very deeply etched in memory." "Jesus risen from the grave, as foretold... gave us eternal life and great mercy." "Everything vibrates in space and time." "Christ is risen!" "Everything radiates and at the same time becomes invisible... disappears in the saintly forms of Panselinos' wall paintings, in the gold background of Theophanes... in the embrace of the Virgin " Axion Esti"." "Three years had gone by since our first visit to Mount Athos." "How many times had we been there?" "It doesn't matter." "This time, however, it was something very different." "We would attempt a pilgrimage... to the summit of legendary Athos." "Summer equinox." "We set off." "We left Kausokalivia behind us, enclosing in our hearts... the unforgettable hospitality offered by Father Athanasius." "We took with us his blessing and valuable advice... and we set off up the mountain path." "Screes... rocky debris..." "something we came across... for the first time and needed special care." "It is said that some men saw them and right away lost them.." "Some other men saw them and were lost with them." "A new acolyte saw one of them." "He told his Elder about it and the Elder said:" "You should have followed them." "On the Holy Mountain there is an old unwritten tradition... that says that twelve invisible monks live near the summit... of Mount Athos, winters and summers, fed by prayer." "When one of them is laid to rest another takes his place." "So there are always a dozen of them with no one missing." "Let's go outside, Father, it's warm." "Let's go." "ln Father Makarios' cell near Karyes... a different piece of handiwork was in progress." "One that took place at noon." "Do two without a cross..." "Yes... a bracelet without beads..." "We'll put a bead at the join." "... And with the beads..." "We've got to sort out these bottles and take them... ln the pharmacy of St. Andreas... medicinal herbs in half-open cupboards... abandoned there for years." "Shapes forgotten in our days... molded from hand-blown glass in the basement workshop." "A strange beauty that is never lost.... untouched by ugliness." "A man once sat sadly because he couldn't learn... to weave a rosary." "Then the Virgin appeared before him and asked:" ""Why are you sad" and he replied:" ""l can't learn how to weave a rosary."" "Then the Virgin gave him a few seeds and said: "Take my tears, cultivate them and make strings of prayer beads and say:" "'Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.'" "'Holy Mother of God save us.'" "As Father Makarios told us this plant needs much care... in order to bear fruit." "We worshipped at the little church of the Virgin... and let a great heatwave pass." "The well near the church was an oasis, a refuge... a true blessing." "The mules couldn't help any more." "We left them at 1 500m." "I thought of Father Athanasius' words: "Be careful... there are many demons on Athos."" "The place with the herbs." "The monks come here during this season... and pick medicinal herbs of all kinds." "The shadowy peak of Athos almost touched Limnos... casting an isosceles triangle on the calm sea." "We found ourselves at the summit." "We worshipped at the little church of the Transfiguration." "Praise be to Him who shows the light." "Athos, a wet-nurse, a giant... an image that lives forever..." "being legendary." "Little boxes with AGFA paper... belonging to the Lumiere brothers." "Bottles with fixers, developers embedded in cobwebs." "An old photography workshop... with a darkroom for developing and printing." "Original in conception, belonging to the past century." "Andreas!" "Come and let's move this." "Pictures of monks, abbots, bishops, laymen... wealthy leaders, donors, pilgrims." "Have we finished, Father Maximus?" "We've finished with this bed." "We'll put it inside." "Here the process of choosing the best is not a fine act... but a demonstration of reverence towards God." "Throughout our walk down to the church of the Virgin again... we watched him picking fine greens." "He plucked them with patience and great care... for quite a long time, engrossed in his task." "We found ourselves there where we had begun our journey." "Father Athanasius offered us his hospitality once again." "We had to get back." "The journey downhill, the road of transformation..." "The flower from the summit of Athos... the odourless fragrance.." "lts name:" "Amaranth." "We stayed with them for a while... and experienced some moments of their vision." "They showed us the way to another world... most unknown to us..." "They opened the doors of another dimension... where matter and spirit constantly bless each other... where benedictions provide nourishment and a blessing is a constant present." "Translated by Elly Petrides" "Subtitled by Videopress S.A."