Simi - The Monestary
05 July 2011
RJ
RJ reports on Simi Monastery:
One of the most interesting rituals we have experienced on our trip is the act of making an offering. Many people travel to various Greek Orthodox monasteries to give these offerings and hope for their prayers to be answered, just like in Ancient Greek times.
We first experienced this act while touring a large monastery in Simi, Greece. Eventually we made our way to the chapel part of the building and saw a small room decorated with extremely detailed woodwork and about 6 or 7 paintings protected by glass. People would come in to this room and cross themselves multiple times before kissing one of the paintings and sometimes leaving a small offering. Most of these people went to the largest painting of Saint Michael, the patron saint of Simi Island and of this monastery. It was 7 feet tall. The most popular offerings were gold chains, crosses, or very thin plates of various metals with a boy, girl, or a body part someone wanted healed stamped on it. We even saw one lady set down a model sailboat in front of the large painting, as St. Michal was the saint of sailors. Before placing any of these offerings, however, they must be checked and approved by one of the two men overseeing the room.
Another part of the monastery was a museum, which held some of the best offerings. Entering the museum, you see a roped off area holding all the model sailboats, about 50 total, that were ever offered at this particular monastery. These ranged from old sloops to modern sailboats. The next rooms held an extreme variety of objects, such as 4 elephant tusks carved with scenes of the lives of African people, and ornate swords with golden thread inlayed in the scabbards. There were also many modern offerings, such as trophies ranging from soccer awards to sailing races and even a trophy for bodybuilding. While we have witnessed many odd rituals, the act of offering is definitely one of the strangest we have experienced.