Project Gutenberg's Visits To Monasteries in the Levant, by Robert Curzon

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Title: Visits To Monasteries in the Levant

Author: Robert Curzon

Release Date: May 16, 2010 [EBook #32397]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MONASTERIES ***

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Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was
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from the Google Print project.)

[Illustration: Book's cover, CURZON'S MONASTERIES]

[Illustration: From a Drawing made on the spot by Viscount Eastnor.

VIEW OF THE GREAT MONASTERY OF METEORA, FROM THE MONASTERY OF BARLAAM,
WITH THE RIVER PENEUS IN THE DISTANCE.]

VISITS TO MONASTERIES

IN

THE LEVANT.

BY THE

HONBLE. ROBERT CURZON, JUN. From a Sketch by R. Curzon.

[Illustration: From a Sketch by R. Curzon.

Interior of the Court of a Greek Monastery. A monk is calling the
congregation to prayer, by beating a board called the simandro ([Greek:
simandro]) which is generally used instead of bells.]

WITH NUMEROUS WOODCUTS.

LONDON:
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET.

1849.

PREFACE.

In presenting to the public another book of travels in the East, when it
is already overwhelmed with little volumes about palm-trees and camels,
and reflections on the Pyramids, I am aware that I am committing an act
which requires some better excuse for so unwarrantable an intrusion on
the patience of the reader than any that I am able to offer.

The origin of these pages is as follows:--I was staying by myself in an
old country-house belonging to my family, but not often inhabited by
them, and, having nothing to do in the evening, I looked about for some
occupation to amuse the passing hours. In the room where I was sitting
there was a large book-case full of ancient manuscripts, many of which
had been collected by myself, in various out-of-the-way places, in
different parts of the world. Taking some of these ponderous volumes
from their shelves, I turned over their wide vellum leaves, and admired
the antiquity of one, and the gold and azure which gleamed upon the
pages of anoth