Meteora Monastery in Thessaly and the Patriarch of Constantinople, 1842

This original antique lithograph, hand colored, comes from the Galleria Universale di Tutti i Popoli del Mondo (Venice, Giuseppe Antonelli, 1842). The upper image shows a cluster of monastery buildings with a slender tower perched on the flat summit of a tall rock pillar, among other sheer gray pinnacles. A wooden gallery on posts projects at the left, and below lies a green valley with scattered trees, a rider on the path and small figures on the slope at the right. The lower image shows the same bearded churchman twice on open ground. At the left he wears a black hood and cloak over a long white robe buttoned down the front and a yellow belt, holding a T shaped staff and a broad hat. At the right he wears a white hood and full white robes and holds a tall pink staff with a curved top, raising his other hand.

The lettering reads "Tav. 148" at the top left, "GRECIA" at the center and "Tom IV" at the top right. The upper caption reads "Monastero in Tessaglia detto la Meteore" (monastery in Thessaly called the Meteora), and the lower caption reads "Patriarca di Costantinopoli in funzione e da viaggio" (Patriarch of Constantinople in ceremonial and in traveling dress).

The monasteries of the Meteora stand on rock pillars in Thessaly and were long reached by ladders and nets hauled up by rope. The Patriarch of Constantinople is the senior bishop of the Orthodox Church, with his seat in Istanbul.

A striking pair of images for anyone interested in Greece and Orthodox history.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.