TravelswithCharie

Iconostasis  A few minutes from the center of Bucharest is the medieval church of Snagov Monastery. It is also known as Vlad Tepeş Monastery after the infamous ruler of Wallachia who was a patron of this monastery. The Church sits on an island surrounded by a forest and connected to the mainland by a pedestrian bridge. I didn’t expect the beautiful natural setting and found myself standing in the middle of the bridge quietly enjoying the serenity the lake presented. The iconostasis is a screen between the nave and the sanctuary. There are three doors on the screen. The middle one is used only by the clergy and is called the Beautiful Gate or Royal Door (it was used at times by royalty). The other two doors are for the use of deacons. Snagov Lake Mircea cel Baltran (Mircea the Elder) At the entrance to the church are the medallions of Baltran and his grandson, Vlad Tepeş, who were both patrons of the church. Baltran is one of the founders of this monastery. *see also my post about S...

Rila Monastery sits in a forested valley surrounded by snow capped mountain peaks. The setting can’t get any more wholesome with the exception that this is a popular tourist and pilgrimage destination. Weekends are the worst days to visit when the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mother is so crowded, there’s little room to move inside the stunning church. We got there after lunch on a Sunday and the traffic on the narrow lane road at the back of the monastery was atrocious. The crowds thinned after three p.m. so we could get a closer look at the outdoor frescoes.  All Eastern Orthodox churches depict the Christ Pantocrator in the central dome of the Church. Pantocrator means the Almighty and the ruler of all. There are initials on both sides of the head of the Pantocrator, IC and XC. IC are the first and last letters of Jesus in the Greek alphabet (Iota and Sigma) and XC (Chi and Sigma) are the first and last letters for Christ. This Pantocrator fresco is on the outdoor portic...