Description of the attraction
The Monastery of the Life-Giving Spring is one of the most visited and interesting sights of the Greek island of Poros, as well as an integral part of its history. It is located about 4 km east of the capital of the island of the same name in an amazingly picturesque place on the slopes of a pine-covered hill overlooking the small fishing village of Kalavria.
The monastery was founded at the beginning of the 18th century by order of Archbishop James II of Athens next to a healing spring, from which he miraculously recovered from a rather serious illness. In 1733, the monastery of the Life-Giving Spring came under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.
Throughout its history, the monastery was an important spiritual center and a place where everyone in need could find shelter. During the Greek War of Independence, the monastery provided invaluable spiritual and financial support to the freedom fighters. Here, the monks who fled from the sacred Mount Athos found shelter to save the unique church artifacts, including the relics of St. John the Baptist.
In 1828, within the walls of this monastery, Ioannis Kapodistrias (the first ruler of independent Greece) founded an orphanage, where 180 orphans, whose parents died in the struggle for the independence of their country, found their home. And already in 1830 the first religious school was opened in the monastery.
The main catholicon of the monastery is made in the Byzantine style and is a domed basilica with a bell tower. On its southern wall you can see a sundial (the work of the abbot of the monastery Galaktion Galatis), and at the entrance to the temple - the tombs of the legendary admirals of the Greek War of Independence Nicholas Apostolis and Manolis Tombasis.
Among the main relics of the monastery, it is worth noting the miraculous icon of Panagia Zoodochos Pigi, dating back to 1650, the icon depicting the Virgin and Jesus by the famous Italian artist Raphael Tsekoli (1849), as well as the icons of Panagia Amolintos (1590) and Christ Pantokrator (1780). The impressive carved iconostasis made of wood with a height of about 5 meters deserves special attention. There is also an excellent library on the territory of the monastery.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Saint Nektarios, one of the most revered saints of Greece, stayed in the holy monastery for several months.
