Introduction to the Woodcarving Art of the Monastery

The wood carvings preserved in the Vatopedi Monastery are noteworthy. With the exception of the miniature sculptures, mainly crosses and triptychs, there are large wooden structures, which complete the picture of this art during the post-Byzantine period. Notable are the door panels that separate the inner narthex from the main church (1567), the northern episcopal throne, the colored window panels of the outer narthex (1793), the southern episcopal throne (1850) and two lecterns. However, the development of wood carving in the decoration of the interior of churches is directly linked to the use of wooden iconostasis in place of marble ones, a change that began gradually in the 14th century and became widespread during the Ottoman occupation. It is therefore no coincidence that the catholicon and the chapels of the Monastery also feature elaborate iconostasis, which date from the 17th to the early 19th centuries.