of the big church on the 16th of june 1867. The imposing size of the complex, by far the biggest on Athos was a horror to the Greek, who nicknamed it the Serail, the palace. From the 1917 revolution the influx of Russian monks dried up due to travel restrictions in the communist era. In the sixties only one Russian monk lived in the skiti. When he passed away the complex was left completely empty. Later it was taken over by the Greek who started restoration work.
For Geldermans it was an intense Pompeï experience. As he wrote: In ictu oculi, in the twinkling of an eye, all life is petrified. There was a shoemakers workshop, a chemist and much more. As if the monks could return anytime.
A mistymorning walk towards the Serail. This picture has got a special quiet and mysterious atmosphere. Exactly how a walk on the Holy Mountain should be (picture by Raymond Geldermans, april 1982).A warning sign posted on the entrance door. The sign reads: “Attention, danger, death”, as if death is an infectious disease you have to be warned for. (picture by Raymond Geldermans, april 1982). In an attempt to find the exact location of the ossuary, Geldermans came to the conclusion that is must have been building D in Wims recent post. It is the L-shaped building on top of the map. Nowadays all the floors have disappeared and so, probably, have the human remains.
An enormous collection of skulls piled up in an open cupboard. Eleven layers and at least