Off of the road to Delphi from Athens in central Greece lies the Óssios Loukás (St. Luke) monastery. Named for a local hermit, this Byzantine Monastery is set into the beautiful mountains of central Greece. Placed on the edge of a an inspiring valley of olive trees and surrounded by steep mountains the Monastery is a perfect place for those who want to be alone and meditate and is still used by Greek Orthodox Monks.

Óssios Loukás shares several traits with its sister Monastery, Daphne. They are both beautiful Byzantine structures, reflecting the glories of the Byzantine empire on both the outside and inside. They are both beautiful on the outside and have splendid murals on the inside.(Óssios Loukás' are slightly better preserved). They also were both taken under the protection of the Cistercians and the Dukes of Athens. Óssios Loukás Monastery is a wonderful work of art. I found the ruined Byzantine city of Mystra resembles Óssios Loukás but on a much larger scale in terms of splendor and preservation of the past.

The Church its self is divided into two "smaller" Churches with a prayer room connecting the two. First there is the public church. This is highly decorated and contains much of the artwork, as well as alcoves with side alters in them. This one is the public church.The second church is for silent prayer. It is fairly barren, with only a few icons in it. This one was intended to be only for the monks. I hope you enjoy the photos. Any comments, please E-mail me, .