Film info

Creator / Collector

Description
We are in the prefecture of Chania in Crete. Two white cars of the filmmaker's company meet in order to follow the same route, according to the information on the road sign.

We see general views of the route in semi-mountainous lands, a settlement in the plain, part of the coastline in the Libyan Sea and finally on a hill the all-white Monastery of Virgin Mary (Panagia) Chrysoskalitissa, which belongs to the Metropolitan Cathedral of the of Kissamos and Selinos.

It is an Orthodox, nunnery of the 17th century, which according to religious tradition one of the 98 steps leading to the top of the Monastery is made out of gold, but this golden step can be seen only by the sinless. This is how the Monastery got its name, which is dedicated to the Holy Trinity and the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

The filmmaker and his friends visit the Monastery with the unobstructed sea view. We see the bell tower and the stairs which are carved in the stone, the company greets the priest and we are transported to the temple’s interior area for pilgrimage. Views of the Beautiful Gate, the static candle-stands with the candles of the religiously faithful people, the benches, the holy icon of the Virgin Mary with Christ, an all-reverential atmosphere.

In the church’s exterior area, the filmmaker gives us a close-up shot of the bell tower with a dome and a cross, an elderly man goes down the stairs and after that in the monastery’s little house, the nuns offer coffee and water to the visitors.

After the visit to the Monastery, the group of friends heads to the beach of Lafonisi, a woman walks in the shallows, everyone enjoys the landscape and the film closes with a distant shot of the Monastery at sunset.

Coordinates

Film Information

Holder
Chatzidakis Georgios

Quality
HD (1440x1080)

Sound
No

Color
Yes

Duration (seconds)
165

Format
8mm