Medieval

The Witnesses

Eastern Turkey 2009:  The Greek Orthodox Monastery at Sumela

Fog and rain ruined our view as we clambered up the muddy mountain path toward the ancient structure.  As usual I was not dressed for the occasion. We were in the mountains and it was freezing cold. I’d been watching the news about our soldiers in Iraq just before the trip and since Turkey is not that far from Iraq, I imagined Turkey would be hot. It was, but not here in the mountains. Here it was icy.

I had to hang behind our group to buy a shawl at the souvenir shop. The salesman insisted that it was pashmina and he wanted far more than it was worth. (It was a horrid dull green.) I bought it, though. I was in no position to haggle. I had photos to shoot.

The monastery is carved into a rock cliff and is a jumble of rooms and chapels. Although, as you arrive, there is an overview, I didn’t care for the look of it.  Too busy.  I didn’t shoot it and have had a niggling feeling of regret ever since. Moral: Strike while the iron is hot! (This works for photography as well as when shopping.)

I did get some shots inside the chapel. Beautiful frescoes of Christ’s face and the Blessed Virgin stared down at us from the ceiling with soft, soulful eyes. Vandals hadn’t been able to ruin them as they had so many of the others.

I shot this photo through the thick stone wall of the chapel. These were tourists, listening to their guide. The woman wearing the red hoody seemed like a medieval pilgrim with her upturned face. I decided to “medievalize” this photo. Maybe I should have resisted the urge, but it did remind me of the Swedish film, “The Seventh Seal”.