The kitchen stove

…At the old Ursuline School of Naxos

I ‘ve been dying to show you this kitchen stove, discovered during a visit at the old Ursuline School of Naxos. I was wandering at the beautifully renovated building of the school, inside the Castle of Chora -amazed by the architecture, the view and the history of the place that create quite an imposing atmosphere- when I saw it: In the middle of a simple and elegant room surrounded by big windows allowing in natural light, an antique kitchen stove, quite and proud, like an island in the winter.

Can you imagine the times when this stove was baking, boiling and frying? Can you imagine the nuns moving around the stove for centuries, wearing out the ceramic floor tiles, cooking countless kind meals for their students? And how did they manage to bring the stove up there, through the narrow paths of the Castle? The stove travelling on the deck of a boat; the stove waiting by the sea, like the piano in Jane Campion’s film; Yes, I know, my imagination started running wild again: in places like this, it is inevitable to happen…

Just outside the kitchen there is a veranda, overlooking the 3d Braque painting formed by the castle rooftops. Different shades of white, grey and brown, alternate all the way down to the sea. A truly wonderful view that in the past could make the students feel a little isolated from everyday life rhythms of the Chora. A feeling that would easily fade away, with a warm, fresh cooked meal from that fine kitchen stove.

photography by christos drazos