Exclusive Opportunity: Limited Edition Gregoriou Monastery Wall Paintings Book

A rare opportunity to acquire one of only two handcrafted treasures celebrating the sacred art of Mount Athos. The Friends of Mount Athos is honoured to present a unique offering to our members: the final remaining copy of an exceptionally limited edition – just two volumes produced – of a handmade leather-bound book documenting the magnificent wall paintings of the katholikon (main church) at the Holy Monastery of Saint Gregorios on Mount Athos. This is more than a publication; it is a work of devotion. Each volume contains a professionally printed yet timeless scholarly work enhanced by an exquisite leather cover that was handcrafted specifically for the Friends of Mount Athos by a member of the monastic brotherhood of Gregoriou Monastery. This bespoke binding makes each volume a truly singular artifact that bridges scholarship, artistry, and living Orthodox tradition. Price: £275 (including shipping) About the Volume: The Holy Monastery of Saint Gregorios, dedicated to Saint Nicholas and founded in 1310 by Gregory the Younger – a disciple of Gregory of Sinai – houses a katholikon rebuilt after a devastating fire in 1761. Between 1768 and 1779, the interior was adorned with breathtaking wall paintings executed by the priest-monk Gabriel and a painter named Gregory, both from Kastoria, a renowned regional centre of artistic excellence. Authors Nikos Zias and Sotirios Kadas – leading modern scholars of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine art, particularly the artistic heritage of Mount Athos – have created what stands as a timeless model study of Athonite art. The extensive decorative programme follows traditional iconography while demonstrating stylistic flexibility, vivid colour, and a restrained use of Baroque elements. Kadas’s Mount Athos: The Monasteries and Their Treasures has become a classic pilgrim’s guide; he has also published studies of the wall paintings of the Monastery of Dionysiou and catalogued hundreds of Athonite illuminated manuscripts. Zias, long associated with the European Centre of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Monuments, has contributed significantly to the study of Byzantine art’s reception in modern Greek painting. Their collaboration results in an accessible yet scholarly volume appealing to both specialists and general readers. The Sacred Imagery: Athonite wall painting is traditionally divided into three phases: Late Byzantine, early post-Byzantine (notably the sixteenth-century Cretan school), and early modern (eighteenth–nineteenth centuries). The paintings at Gregoriou belong to this last phase. Though eighteenth-century iconography has sometimes been dismissed as decadent or provincial, the works here stand as striking counter-evidence. The decorative programme is extensive and coherent, comprising:

• A full Christological cycle
• Scenes of Christ’s parables and miracles
• Abbreviated cycles of the Virgin, John the Baptist, and Saint Nicholas
• A Marian programme enriched with scenes from the Akathistos Hymn
• Particularly rich imagery in the lity (narthex)

The iconographic scheme broadly follows the prescriptions of Dionysios of Fourna’s Painter’s Manual (1730–1734), though not rigidly, allowing for flexibility and invention. Notable images include:

• The Platytera in the apse – depicting the Virgin in gold garments holding a cosmic orb bearing the symbols of the zodiac
• A distinctive Pentecost – with the Theotokos seated at the head of the Apostles
• A dramatic Transfiguration – showing Christ in a mandorla of turning gyres
• Extensive inventive architectural backdrops
• Large figures of Christ, the Virgin, and Saint Nicholas in the lity – whose refined modelling and commanding presence reveal considerable nuance and skill

While the Kastorian painters were less formally trained than earlier masters and worked with simpler materials, their style remains distinctive. It features bold, saturated colours – especially red, blue, gold, and white – dense, figure-filled compositions, and elaborate ornamental patterns, particularly in garments. Western influences are also evident in certain motifs and iconographic choices. Production Details: Each volume contains nearly three hundred high-quality colour images – about a third of the book – supported by seventeen full-page architectural plans mapping the paintings. Kadas provides detailed descriptions, while Zias addresses historical, stylistic, and theological aspects. The pages are produced to professional publishing standards; the leather binding is the handcrafted element that distinguishes this special edition. Book Reference: Nikos Zias and Sotirios Kadas, The Holy Monastery of Saint Gregorios: The Wall-Paintings in the Katholikon. Mount Athos, 1998. 311 pp. + 270 colour plates, 17 architectural plans. This represents a wonderful opportunity to acquire one of only two such leatherbound volumes ever created – an heirloom worthy of its sacred subject and monastic origins.