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design
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The construction of the second stage of
Australia’s first Greek Orthodox monastery to be
constructed in the traditional Byzantine style has
been completed, augmenting the magnificent
church, or Kathilokon, which was dedicated
in 2009.
In common with church buildings that have taken
a century or more to complete, the Pantanassa
Monastery (more correctly the Holy Monastery of
the Mother of God, Pantanassa) is very much a
work in progress and will be so possibly for
decades to come.
The monastery is located at Mangrove Mountain,
about 90 minutes north of Sydney. It is perched
high on a rugged 28-hectare site, the relative
remoteness and isolation allowing the monastics
to focus on their contemplative and largely
self-sufficient life.The introverted layout of the
monastery “turns its back on the outside world,”
explains Demetrios Stavropoulos, principal of
Design Delta Architects, just as the residents, all
males, have rejected a conventional lifestyle.“On
the outside walls the openings are typically smaller
and more rectangular. Inside is much more open,
the geometry is rounder and more welcoming.”
Although the two stages are now compete
structurally, neither is by any means complete
in terms of fitout and occupation, let alone
landscaping. In a commercial build this would be
cause for considerable concern on the part of the
building owner but the monks at Pantanassa are
sanguine, viewing this as a project measured not
in months or years but in decades and
generations. Partly this is due to funds but also
completion of some aspects of the monastery
decor, such as the painting of icons that will
eventually cover the church walls and ceiling,
may take up to a century!
On a rugged, elevated site north of Sydney, a building for
the next century and beyond is slowly taking shape.
beyond
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