Secrets of Greek Sacred Art - Five-week Course

The sacred use of art in Greek ritual is rooted in the ancient Mysteries, and remains integral to the Greek Orthodox Church, in which pre-Christian survivals can be traced in the architecture, ornamentation, and iconography. From theurgic statue animation, living portraits of the dead, temples in which the worshipper becomes the living connection between divine and physical worlds, and icons as receptacles of divine breath --- Greek sacred art is a mysterious world of wonder that remains a living tradition. 

11 Nov. Sacred faces: Conversations with the Gods and the dead

18 Nov. Statue animation, theurgy, and talismans

25 Nov. Sacred architecture and ritual space

2 Dec. Colour in sacred art

9 Dec. Sacred art in folk tradition.

Dr Sasha Chaitow is a British-Greek scholar also trained in icon painting, who has curated numerous art exhibitions in Greece and teaches part of a long-running cultural immersion course to adult learners of Modern Greek. She has developed this course from that material especially for Treadwell’s, drawing on her research, local insider knowledge, and artistic experience.

This online Zoom course consists of five two-hour sessions. Each has a live illustrated lecture by Dr Chaitow, who then leads a Q&A and class discussion. Further resources will be provided at the end of the course so students can go deeper. The course has its own Facebook group, where people can interact between classes, sharing links, commenting on readings; questions for Dr Chaitow can be posted there too. We record the live lectures as they're happening, then post them online. If a student has to miss a session they can still see it on delayed view; equally, students can re-watch any of them until the end of the course. Upon completion, attendees will receive a Treadwell’s certificate.