Discover the history and beauty of Christianity while traveling in Greece. Check out these five spectacular monasteries in Halkidiki.
Discover the history and beauty of Christianity while traveling in Greece. Check out these five spectacular monasteries in Halkidiki outside of Mount Athos.
Ouranoupoli is right at the borders between Mount Athos and the rest of Halkidiki. Undoubtedly, Mount Athos is a special place to visit. After all, it is one of the sacred lands for Christians. However, access to the Holy Mountain is not easy.
Thus, if you still wish to visit spectacular monasteries, here is a list of the top 5 monasteries in Halkidiki outside of Mount Athos.
1. Monastery of Zografou, West Halkidiki
The monastery is at the village of Zografou in West Halkidiki, just before the beginning of the Kassandra peninsula. It dates back to the Byzantine era since its tower. Some of its preserved buildings are from the 14th century.
2. Monastery of the Annunciation of Theotokos in Ormylia, Sithonia
It is about 4 kilometers away from Ormylia village, and it is a women’s abbey. It is the biggest in Greece, and it hosts over 120 nuns of various nationalities. Most of the nuns are educated women and researchers.
In 1996, they established the Ormylia Art Diagnosis Center to study and research the Orthodox Church.
3. Monastery of Agios Prodromos in Metamorfosi, Sithonia
It is a relatively new monastery since it was established in 1975. However, its buildings once upon a time belonged to the old monastery of St Dionysios. Today 50 nuns live at the monastery, and it is about 2 kilometers north of the village Metamorfosi.
4. Dependency (Metochion) of the life-bearing spring in Ierissos, East Coast
It belongs to the Monastery of Hiliandary and is located close to Ierissos, after the bridge of Kokkinolakos. It is a small Byzantine chapel at the top of a high rock cliff. It is surrounded by other buildings such as cells, workshops, an artificial pond with fish, and an open-air guest atrium. The monastery is habited by monks who welcome visitors every day.
5. Monastery of Agia Anastasia Farmakolytria
It was founded in the 16th century by St Theonas, who later became the Metropolitan bishop of Thessaloniki. During the Turkish occupation, the monastery was destroyed, and it was built again from scratch in 1830.
Today it belongs to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
