Spooky or charming?
Do you find cemeteries spooky?
Usually I don't, actually I have seen quite a few that are very beautiful, even some with so amazing view that I would gladly sit for a while, sipping a hot cacao :)
But this one was quite different. First of all I was on an island that all its residents are less than the tombs you can see in the picture! The eerie silence, the occasional squeaking caused by the wind and the sudden croaking of a passing by crow, didn't help either. But most of all it was the signs of dereliction that send a slight shiver down my spine. Those humble, untended graves, a simple rectangle of stones and a cross thrown on the dirt was something new for me. Pictures of zombie movies where the undead crawl out of the ground, kept popping up into my mind and taking the pictures was almost too much delay, before I clear out of there!
This is my entry to the Photo Quest of @qurator and the theme is Spooky. There is plenty of time if you want to enter too. I am sure that with the Halloween and all, there would be some really spooky staff to share :)
But I don't want to leave you with ominous feelings. After all there is a lovely chapel and monastery right next to the cemetery, recently renovated and totally charming :)
We are at Antikythera and this place is dedicated to Agios Myron, the most "famous" saint of the island although he is rather unknown to the rest of Greece!
The story says that at an era that there were no people living on the island (between 1450-1780), some hunters from the nearby island of Crete have found an icon of the saint in a cave. They made a rough shelter and came back in another trip in order to built a proper chapel. When they returned they found the icon in a different place and that's the location they finally built the church!
After the latest renovation it has become the most well preserved construction of the island that is filled with people once a year at a big fest, in August.
Thank you for reading and if you want to know more about me you can check out my introduction post.
Commenting, upvoting and rebloging are highly appreciated!
I've always rather liked cemeteries.
Some of them are really nice!
Thank you for stopping by @laurabellamy :)
Of course! You have some nice work, got a new follower here. :-)
Oh so glad you found @fotostef He is one of my favorite Hivers!
:-) I like his work very much! Always looking for more to be inspired by.
You should also check out his partner Fontini @traisto she is wonderful and inspiring!
Thanks Sara! So sweet of you :)
I like a tradition when somebody's death is a holiday, because it's freedom and the end of life's experinece in this body, so the sould has got all it needed, and now it's free to go further in its development and new lives
so I don't like our culture where death is a tragedy and pain
I prefer this approach much better. Actually the past few years I am trying to embrace it. Nevertheless I was raised differently and it isn't easy to change a mindset that has been established on my brain for decades!
yeah, I totally agree with you. It is not easy to break standards that we were taught during many years of our childhood and youth. But ...I think sometimes it's better to do it to see different world colours and senses.
I reckon it is a really safe place to live having so "many" residents. Looks clean and tidy, which also contributes to the population numbers. Defo charming!
Oh yes, I couldn't imagine any criminal activity on this tiny island, at least not without everyone knowing about it :)
I normally find them very peaceful, the experience is one of calm and beauty. This one, perhaps as you say, because of its derelict nature? The last time I felt like that was in one by the sea in Puerto Rico.
Anyway, the chapel is beautiful and takes that feeling down a notch. Beautiful shots!
Yes, I have seen some very beautiful cemeteries myself. Especially in the islands there are some with breathtaking view!
Thanks a lot :)