Images of Athos

Holy Transfiguration, May 2007. Hardcover. As New/Very Good. Mount Athos is called ''the Garden of the Virgin,'' and the stunning beauty and artistry of this book helps us a little to understand why. Published by the great Monastery of Vatopaidi on Athos, it is divided into two parts. The first is a photographic survey of the major monasteries of the monastic republic, revealing the incredible natural and architectural beauty of the place, and glimpses of the monks about their daily tasks -- worshiping, fishing, cooking, gardening, working in the libraries and workshops of the monasteries. Included in this section are brief but informative articles on the history of Athos and the shape of its daily life by Kriton Chryssochoidis and Georgios Mantzarides. The second half of the book shows us a beauty beyond this world, and reveals the monk Chariton as an iconographer who uses a camera as his brush; it consists solely of images of many of the ''Citizens of Solitude,'' the members of the monastic communities themselves, especially elders who have been Athonites for fifty, sixty, seventy years or more. These elders are portrayed with almost heartbreaking poignancy and sensitivity. Here, we encounter the very soul of Athos, discerning in the creased faces and living eyes of the subjects the very lineaments of the image of Christ. Greek and English text. Color photographs on every page, in a 9 1/2 X 12 inch oversized format. Book Like New, jacket shows light rubbing to covers and a small tear at top rear jacket edge. Text pristine. Very scarce and beautiful book.