Monastery of Megali Panagia

The Holy Monastery of Megali Panagia, near Koumaradaioi, was founded in 1586 by the monks Neilos and Dionysios after the miraculous appearance of a light and the discovery of an icon of the Entry of the Theotokos. The original icon and other important 17th‑century relics were destroyed by a great fire. However, a faithful copy was created in 1670, kept in the chapel of the Holy Apostles. Today, in the monastery courtyard, the church of Megali Panagia dominates—Byzantine in style, cross‑in‑square with a dome—built in 1593. Notable features include the carved marble belfry, the carved entrance surround (1777), the carved wooden narthex door, the superb iconostasis and the frescoes. In the narthex is the chapel of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul (1587), the monastery’s first building, with frescoes of exquisite technique and 17th‑century icons on its carved iconostasis. Descending the eight stone steps into the chapel, one encounters the holy spring at the spot where the two monks dug in 1586 and found the icon. The monastery celebrates on 23 August.