A recent excursion to the mountainous Arcadia (Peloponnese, Greece) led us to the village Vastas and the nearby chapel of St. Theodora residing at an altitude of 860 m (~2800 ') within a forest of oak trees.
Camera: Canon EOS 7D
Lens: Canon EF 17-85 IS USM, Focal Length: 17mm (27.2mm)
ISO: 250, Exposure: 1/40 sec, Aperture: 4.0
Most spectacular, or "miraculous" according to the legend, are the 17 oak trees that seem to burst out of the stone walls and the flat-stone roof , without obvious roots inside the chapel.
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| Camera: Canon EOS 7D Lens: Canon EF 17-85 IS USM, Focal Length: 17mm (27.2mm) ISO: 250, Exposure: 1/80 sec, Aperture: 4.0 |
The small chapel was initially built around 1050-1100 AD in the name of a young local girl Theodora, who was slaughtered when she was 17 years old.
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| Camera: Canon EOS 7D Lens: Canon EF 17-85 IS USM, Focal Length: 38mm (60.8mm) ISO: 250, Exposure: 1/80 sec, Aperture: 4.0 |
As alleged by the legend, by her last prayer she asked her body become a temple, her hair trees and her blood a creek. So it was, that the locals build the chapel in her memory, where the trees have grown large and tall and a spring bursts below the base of the chapel.
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| Camera: Canon EOS 7D Lens: Canon EF 17-85 IS USM, Focal Length: 17mm (27.2mm) ISO: 100, Exposure: 1/100 sec, Aperture: 4.0 |
Thus, the number of trees emerging from the stone walls and the roof, match the girls age at the time of her death.
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| Camera: Canon EOS 7D Lens: Canon EF 17-85 IS USM, Focal Length: 85mm (136mm) ISO: 200, Exposure: 1/30 sec, Aperture: 5.6 |
I don't know if the oak trees emerged out of the chapel or the chapel was built upon the trees, as the tree trunks seem to grow and be well concealed by the masonry but nevertheless it is a unique phenomenon worth seeing.
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| Camera: Canon EOS 7D Lens: Canon EF 17-85 IS USM, Focal Length: 72mm (115.2mm) ISO: 100, Exposure: 1/50 sec, Aperture: 5.6 |
As the small stream gushes below the chapel base, it gives extreme growth to the surrounding area. Plants and oak trees thrive. The impromptu sign nailed on the tree declares that the water is drinkable.
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| Camera: Canon EOS 7D Lens: Canon EF 17-85 IS USM, Focal Length: 33mm (52.8mm) ISO: 200, Exposure: 1/100 sec, Aperture: 4.5 |
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| Camera: Canon EOS 7D Lens: Canon EF 17-85 IS USM, Focal Length: 17mm (27.2mm) ISO: 100, Exposure: 1/125 sec, Aperture: 4.0 |
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| Camera: Canon EOS 7D Lens: Canon EF 17-85 IS USM, Focal Length: 76mm (121.6mm), ISO: 400, Exposure: 1/160 sec, Aperture: 5.6 |
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| Camera: Canon EOS 7D Lens: Canon EF 17-85 IS USM, Focal Length: 50mm (80mm) ISO: 800, Exposure: 1/320 sec, Aperture: 5.6 |
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| Camera: Canon EOS 7D Lens: Canon EF 17-85 IS USM, Focal Length: 28mm (44.8mm) ISO: 640, Exposure: 1/320 sec, Aperture: 4.5 |
All Photos were shot in RAW and post processed in Canon's DPP (Digital Photo Professional).
Thank you for viewing.
All Photos © 2013 S.C.Vlachos
Reference Articles:
Canon EF-S 17-85 mm f/4.0-5.6 IS USM Lens Reference
Thank you, beautyful place, and beautyful story.
ReplyDeleteThank You, Luca. Captivating beauty indeed.
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