Kairos is the youngest son of Zeus, best known for being the god a happy moment.
The legend says if you catch him by his tuft you can catch your happy moment. But you have to think fast, with wings on his back as well as on his feet, Kairos is extremely fast. One of the best kept reliefs of this Greek god was found in Trogir in 3rd century B.C in an attic of a house from a noble family Statilić. It is assumed that the family brought it to Trogir from a trip. The relief shows a young god with a beam scale in his hand, waiting for a scale to balance thus creating a happy moment. He urgently and almost silently rushes among the people and gives them the opportunity to catch him. His bangs are strategically located at the front of his head, falling down his face. With this, Kairos encourages people to take risks in life and to face situations and not “stay safe”. When a person takes a risk and tries to catch a tuft, the chance of catching a happy moment is much higher.
This very relief is considered the closest resemblance to a bronze statue made by Lizip.
The relief is kept in the Benedictine monastery of Saint Nicholas where you can visit the Collection of Art “Kairos“. The church was built on the foundations of an old church and the walls as well as the gates of the ancient city of Trogir. The monestary was founded in 1064 for noble women, and it is the only womens monestary in Trogir that is still in use.
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