THE PORT OF LAVRA : MT. ATHOS, GREECE; 



Photograph by H. G. Dwight 



curious is a geography of the eleventh 

 century, after Strabo and Ptolemy, con- 

 taining the most extraordinary maps. I 

 photographed one of Macedonia, out of 

 which no human being could make head 

 or tail; and on top of it I carefully pro- 

 ceeded to photograph a beautifully illu- 

 minated liturgy of St. Basil. 



We prolonged our stay at Vatopethi, 

 at the kind instance of the monks, in 

 order to see a characteristic piece of 

 local color. This was the fete day of the 

 monastery, which is dedicated to the An- 

 nunciation of the Virgin. The festival 

 was celebrated with the more enthusi- 

 asm, I fancy, because it happened to fall 

 in Lent. From all parts of the penin- 

 sula, and even from farther away, guests 

 gathered in honor of one of the chief 

 distractions of the Mt. Athos year. 



The Parliament of Karyes, especially 

 invited, arrived in a body the day before 

 the fete. Their approach was heralded 

 by gunshots among the hills, at which 

 signal the elders of the monastery assem- 

 bled at the gate. When the representa- 



tives finally dismounted from their gaily 

 caparisoned mules, there was a universal 

 embracing, while the white-kilted escort 

 burned more powder. Then, as the fa- 

 thers entered the court, the bells of the 

 clock-tower pealed them welcome, and 

 they all went into the church for a brief 

 office. 



The religious event of the occasion was 

 the vigil in the church, which began be- 

 fore sundown on the eve of the great 

 day. We found the two narthexes and 

 the nave packed with monks and peas- 

 ants, all standing, as the Greek custom is. 

 Six tall white guardsmen picturesquely 

 kept the transepts clear. We had the 

 honor to be shown to transept stalls, 

 among the higher clergy and invited 

 guests ; but, although this honor con- 

 ferred the privilege of hanging by one's 

 elbows from the high arms of one's stall, 

 even of perching on a little shelf ad- 

 justed to the edge of a turned-up seat 

 which it is not etiquette to use, I must 

 confess that I weakly withdrew before 

 midnight. 



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