Traveling in Greece, I immediately drew attention to the rather frequent, small, strangely located buildings. Sometimes there was a cross on their roof, sometimes not. Standing this "house" could, for example, at the corner of the intersection, or next to the apartment building, clearly not fitting into the overall composition of the building, or interfering with the passage along the street.
Another such construction met me on the outskirts of the city of Thessaloniki. I would once again passed by, but I saw how a young girl with a bottle of water came out of the "house". Judging by the clothes - a schoolgirl, quite modern and not timid in appearance. Her short skirt and lack of a scarf, which is usually worn on the head at the entrance to the temple, have strengthened my determination to look inside.
After the bright street light, the eyes got used to the darkness, and the image of the Virgin with the outstretched hands gradually appeared on the wall of the building. It was a fresco, judging by the date indicated in the corner, painted in 1975. In the center, Jesus is depicted, above on a scarlet-red background several Saints. A small bowl and a tap with a new lever for water supply are mounted in the wall. Next the metal box, which burns a few candles. In a small box of marble are new candles, they can be lit, leaving a donation of 3-5 euros. The room itself is very small, it can hardly accommodate a maximum of two people. Here pretty fresh and even cool, compared to the street where it's now at thirty. Artificial lighting, air conditioning is not, the door to the "house" is also missing, everything is very similar to the sacred grotto with the source. But most importantly, there was felt spirituality, faith, a feeling that you do not experience in every big temple. And you are completely alone here, alone with your thoughts, requests and aspirations...
Later I found out that this house is called parekklitsion (from the Greek παρεκκλήσι), literally a small church with its Holy See, sometimes belonging to one person or institution. Parekklitsion can be the limit of a nearby church, and be inside the room.
Another Greek discovery is the very small, literally puppet proskrinitaris. From Greek "προσκυνητάριον from προσκυνῶ" - I bow my knees. Especially a lot of proskrinitaris are found on highways, hiking trails, mountain rivers, hills, and in the city they are not uncommon. Inside this metal or stone "box-house" lie icons, crosses, coins, burning candles, lamps, bottles with oil, and sometimes notes and photographs of people.
At first, I decided that proskrinitaris were installed on the site of the tragic death of a person, which is logical to assume. But why these houses stand on the lawns next to the dwellings - remained a mystery. In Googl, I found some interesting versions.
One of the myths about how Greece appeared is: The creator, sifting through the giant sieve of the earth, distributed it to all countries, Greece was the last in line and she got only stones from which mountains and hills were built. It was very difficult to move around such a territory, and the travelers prayed with all their might to the Gods, installed the statues of Hermes - the patron of travelers, and with the advent of Christianity - crosses and small temples.
Today, construction proskrinitaris people are also put in gratitude for the fact that they managed to avoid trouble - in honor of saving a person from the river, or when they managed to prevent an accident due to a suddenly bursting wheel. They also bring good luck in business, income, family well-being. Proscrinitarii of the most bizarre forms are sold in shops near the road, along with goods for the garden-garden. That's so easy in Greece, you can buy your own mini-temple and set where your heart desires.
