Monastery of Saint Minas

The Holy Monastery of Saint Minas on Chios was founded between 1572 and 1595 by Reverend Neophytos and his son Minas on a hilltop near Neochori. It quickly flourished, with numerous buildings around the enclosure, and ran a library and school that hosted prominent figures. The monastery is tied to the 1822 Massacre of Chios, when many Chians sought refuge there. The Turks stormed it, killed and burned the faithful, leaving indelible marks on the marble floor and on the bones displayed today in the ossuary in the courtyard. The monastery was renovated in 1833 and sustained damage in the 1881 earthquake. In 1931 it became a women’s monastery, with nuns engaged in religious handicrafts, painting, and weaving. Today it is an important pilgrimage, celebrated on 11 November and on Bright Tuesday.