The artistic masterpiece within the church of Agios Dimitrios in Kalesma Mykonos is an ode to Byzantine heritage
Project specs:
Graphic designer/illustrator: Gerasimos Hatzis
Soundscape: Stefanos Giakoumakis
Design: Exterior: K-Studio & Interior: Vangelis Bonios Studio Bonarchi
Project curator: Sofia Kousathana & Saint of Athens
Kalesma Mykonos, faithful to its Greek roots and the land’s traditions, proceeded to the artistic re-interpretation within the small church of Agios Dimitrios, located within the hotel’s grounds. The chapel was illustrated by graphic designer/illustrator Gerasimos Chatzis, the soundtrack was undertaken by Stefanos Giakoumakis while the project was inspired by the hotel owners and the team of Kalesma Mykonos’ creative contributors. The work features references to the friezes of ancient temples with its main body narrating the Passions of Holy Week. The overall aesthetic approach and the project’s liturgical depiction is in tune with the brand narrative of Kalesma Mykonos as it was shaped with the contribution of Saint of Athens, K-Studio & Vangelis Bonios of Studio Bonarchi. As a beacon of outstanding hospitality, Kalesma Mykonos innovates with the addition of a landmark which besides being religiously significant, is also a work of art in itself, offering visitors a riveting aesthetic experience.
In a statement on the topic of this innovative feat, Sofia Kousathana says: “For the iconographic program I was inspired by the period of Passover, or Easter, as it is known in our religious reality; a very powerful message which holds a fundamental position within Christian doctrine and is the main theme of the New Testament and the Holy Scriptures. For every deeply religious individual, like myself, the message of the Crucifixion and the Resurrection gives meaning and hope to our life and its big or small fluctuations. The chapel of Saint Dimitrios, in addition to our Greek guests who can identify with its religious nature, also concerns our foreign visitors, since the images created with amazing techniques and captured by our skilled hagiographer, along with the original music created especially for the temple’s score, I believe will rouse their interest and admiration, as an impressive work of art”.
The story behind the inspiration
It is known that stately homes on the Greek islands, housed small or larger holy icon shrines, thus expressing their worship and gratitude to the Divine. Inspired by this custom, the owners of Kalesma Mykonos wished to pay their own tribute to tradition and religion by building the chapel of Saint Dimitrios in a central position within the hotel. The distinguished Greek design company K-Studio curated the temple’s architecture, placing emphasis on powerful Cycladic touches, as they have done throughout the hotel. Inside the church, the design direction was undertaken by Vangelis Bonios of Studio Bonarchi, capturing a feeling of solemnity and tranquility throughout the space. The visual element has been approached in such a way that the work stands out both for its artistic essence as well as for the religious messages depicted in its images. For the temple’s hagiography, a new script was created: a Byzantine, tribal version, dominated by austere black and the shine of gold. Geometric forms are integrated into organic patterns, giving way to a three-dimensional experience. References to great Greek hagiographers, Hellenistic elements, as well as details from life on the island, have their own place in the ensemble. The black wooden altar and the use of white negative space on it, the Byzantine soundscape and the lighting provided exclusively by candles, re-narrate the history of Byzantine heritage.
An atmospheric journey through Byzantine sounds
The soundtrack created for the temple of Saint Dimitrios is permeated by the aesthetic vibrations of the surroundings in which it will be echo, with the sounds of water and wind setting the tone. The artwork follows, complements and projects the programmatic visual narration of this inventive hagiography, which depicts the course of Jesus during Holy Week, with Palm Sunday, the Last Supper, the arrest of Jesus and his Crucifixion, the Epitaphic Lament, the Burial and the Resurrection. The choral voices and European orchestral instruments chosen to develop these specific thematic axes enhance, underline and complement the unique experience of mystagogy and reverence that such a special place of worship presents and exudes.
Kalesma Mykonos
Kalesma Mykonos opened its doors on May 20th, 2021. A contemporary cubist complex of 27 suites and villas resembling a Mykonian village built on the hill sides of Ornos, in Aleomandra, where according to mythology the horses of God Apollo, god of light, sun, poetry and music, found refuge. The scenery’s energy is abundant throughout the hotel as the architectural signature of K-Studio and the interior design curated by Studio Bonarchi’s Vangelis Bonios, have successfully fused tradition with contemporary luxury. All of the hotel’s spaces exude serenity, simplicity and refined elegance. It is a place where visitors can relax and socialise, enjoying refreshing drinks at Aloni Sunset Lounge, looking out to Delos and the sunset along with unique gastronomic proposals from Pere Ubu Mykonos, with Greek cuisine based on seasonal, local products and organic ingredients, with the signature of chef Costas Tsingas. All suites and villas boast their own heated pool as well as unobstructed views to the sea, private terraces with al fresco dining area and sun loungers by the pool, standing out as a paradise of privacy on the Cyclades’ most cosmopolitan island. Furthermore, guests can enjoy high quality personalised service such as in-room Spa treatments, personal yoga sessions and in-room dining. Kalesma Mykonos appears to have been created for the guest that wishes to become one with their destination, its people, its energy and rhythms, its flavours, those who want to become enchanted by the scent of night-blooming jasmine and carried away by music – written especially for Kalesma Mykonos by Zucca Radio’s Yannis Mitsokapas and, eventually experience the luxury of simplicity, the purity and authenticity as well as the cosmopolitan character and the insurmountable quality of services. A dedicated spa will open in 2023.
Gerasimos Hatzis – Graphic Designer /Illustrator
Gerasimos Hatzis was born in Athens in 1972. From a very young age he was passionate about painting, arts and crafts. On occasion – until the end of his teenage years – he experimented with an array of materials. In 1992 he graduated from AKTO Art & Design (Athenian Artistic Technology Group) with a BA Hons in Graphic Design. His work is known worldwide as it has graced the covers of publications such as THE STAR TRIBUNE MAGAZINE, Dieline, Brands of the World and World of Packaging. Many of his works have been published as either advertisement illustrations, graphic designs, or purely as works of art. Gerasimos is a graphic designer, illustrator and artist with the ability to create inspired handmade projects ranging from sketches to sculptures. He has also worked in screenwriting and conceptual imagery for television advertisements and film narrations. From 1993 to 2005 he worked in multinational advertising firms such as McCANN ERICKSON and LEO BURNETT as an iconographer/visualiser while he was very active as a freelancer. From 2006 to 2017 he was co-owner of the advertising company DESIGNCARTEL, providing creative services to many advertising agencies and graphic design firms. Many of his works have received awards in various competitions. From 2017 to today, Hatzis continues to work as a freelancer at SAINT OF ATHENS but provides his services to other offices as well. He has taken part and worked on many projects, both as employee and freelancer, which have won the EVGE & ERMIS AWARDS (Hellenic Graphic Design & Advertising Awards) such as the famous BARACK OBAMA illustration for SBCTV, several times.
Stefanos Giakoumakis
Stefanos Giakoumakis is a musician and composer whose strong interest in art began at a very young age. He has completed his studies in modern-jazz music and electric guitar while also paying attention to the history of music composition. Giakoumakis also holds a degree from Panteion University’s Department of International, European and Area Studies. His love for evocative atmosphere and the creative freedom that theatre and cinema afford are only some of the elements one encounters in his works. His aim is to listen to the needs, structures and textures of the project at hand and to emotionally express them in the most appropriate way.
Saint of Athens
Saint of Athens is a creative agency based in Athens, focusing on design, branding and communication. As a team of experienced professionals, Saint of Athens delves deep into each project in a practical as well as theoretical manner, drawing inspiration from multiple sources and investing in an interdisciplinary way of working. Each idea requires a specific technique in order to serve a specific need. For Saint of Athens, requests are to be treated as living organisms, with their own unique characteristics and distinct purpose.
Vangelis Bonios – Studio Bonarchi interior designer
Interior designer Vangelis Bonios founded Studio Bonarchi a boutique interior design agency, with the aim of creating “a portfolio” of works that reflect his personal aesthetic identity. The agency’s philosophy is based in the study and design of refined, unique interiors projects, whether these are city hotels, personal residences or resort projects, characterised by simple forms and clean geometries that acquire their own value and dynamism thanks to high-quality hand-made materials and embellished with custom-made details. With continuous research on the composition, the materials’ textures, the colour, the environment of each project and tradition, Bonios and his team create timeless projects and spaces that leave a strong aesthetic imprint. An imprint characterised by strong contrasts and a human-centric, high-end approach. His goal is the quest of beauty through the use of modern vocabulary that unveils his love for the exceptional word of interiors. Kalesma Mykonos is a landmark project in Studio Bonarchi’s creative trajectory. As Vangelis Bonios, characteristically states, it is a project with an authentic Greek soul – that of its owners and creative team – and simultaneously a vision directed at the most up to date international design trends.
K-Studio
K-Studio is a design office with its roots in Architecture. We are a team of architects and interior designers based in Athens. Our combined approach produces unique and immersive experiences, through architecture, interior and exterior design and allows us to achieve a holistic experience conception within the vast array of outstanding qualities in each of our projects. This approach has the ability to be applied to projects of any scale and allows us to handle the vast and complex volumes as the sum of smaller-scale research, creating versatile design systems for greater clarity and attention to detail. We create uniquely carved-out architectural experiences fed by tradition, enriched through materiality and drawing inspiration form contemporary life. We have worked and learned alongside highly experienced client groups such as Four Seasons and O&O in Athens and TEMES in the Peloponnese. We have also been called upon to apply our approach to international projects in destinations such as Israel, Qatar, Panama and Kuala Lumpur. Wherever our work takes us, our ethos remains the same: to create powerful identities and architectural narratives which, rooted in local backgrounds and balanced with contemporary ambition, elevate and enrich the user experience.
Sofia Kousathana
Partner, Co-owner
Sofia was born in Athens where she was educated up to her degree in Psychology from Athens University.
She was immediately drawn into the publicity sector where she worked for 10 years handling media accounts in top international firms and climbing to top managerial positions.
She then pursued her own enterpreneurial goals in the food and coffee service sector and lately in the hotel industry.
She is a proud mother of two and speaks English, Italian and French.
Makis Kousathanas
CEO, Partner, Co-owner
Makis was born and raised in Athens where he obtained his degree in Business Organisation and Management from the Athens University of Economics and Business. He holds thirty years of experience, having gained insight into achieving growth and success through his work in consulting firms for leading fashion brands in Greece such as BSB and Artisti Italiani. His entry into the Food and Beverage market followed when in 1992, Makis opened his first Goody’s franchise store which was followed by an additional twelve locations, as well as franchise locations of the famous Greek Venetis Bakery. Makis furthered his experience in the Food and Beverage sector when he and partner Aby Saltiel, became co-owners of two restaurants in Athens’ Glyfada suburb, Sea Spice and Pere Ubu. Throughout the years, spurred on by memories of Mykonos where his family originates from, Makis dreamed of returning to the island. At Kalesma Mykonos, with his partners Aby Saltiel and Sofia Kousathana, Makis materialises his life-long ambition of owning a hotel that remain authentic to the island’s charm and the warmth of its people.
Aby Saltiel
Partner, Co-owner
Aby was born in Thessaloniki, Greece, and moved to New York City after graduation from Tel Aviv University. There, he followed the steps of his father, and had a career in fashion. Aby brought Equipment and Philippe Adec to the States, and later was closely involved in Vilebrequin and other brands.
Greece was always Aby’s passion, and with his partner and friend, Makis Kousathanas, Pere Ubu and Sea Spice restaurants were opened in Glyfada, Athens.
In 2019, Aby returned to Greece where he now lives between Athens and Mykonos and dedicates himself to his true passion, hospitality. Inspired by his personal travels and his motto, “we create memories”, Aby joined forces again with Makis Kousathanas and Sofia Kousathana to create the luxury hotel, Kalesma Mykonos, the perfect ambassador for the authentic spirit of this island.
