Description of the attraction
Among the huge number of churches and monasteries on the Greek island of Santorini, the Orthodox Convent of St. Nicholas is undoubtedly of particular interest. Today the monastery of St. Nicholas is located between the settlements of Imerovili and Firostefani and it is the second “home” of the holy monastery since its foundation.
The history of the monastery began in the 17th century, when the administrative center of the island of Santorini was a well-fortified settlement known as Castro, located on the inaccessible rocky promontory of Skaros (near modern Imerovili, Skaros rock). Mostly Catholics lived in the capital, but the Gizi family was one of the few Orthodox families who lived in the castle of Skaros, and had their own chapel of St. Nicholas here, which in 1651, with the permission of the current archbishop of Santorini, was transformed into a monastery.
By 1800, the capital of Santorini was moved from Castro, which had been thoroughly damaged by a series of powerful earthquakes, to Pyrgos, and by the beginning of the 19th century, the settlement was completely deserted, and the question of moving the monastery to a safer place was also raised. The permission to build a new monastery was issued by Patriarch Kirill VI of Constantinople in December 1815. The monastery was built on the site of the old church of Zoodochos Pigi, where, in fact, it is located today. Due to financial difficulties, the construction lasted for 5 years, during which the nuns stayed in the monastery of the fortress of Pyrgos.
Today this monastery, consecrated in honor of St. Nicholas, St. Panteleimon and the icon of the Mother of God "Life-giving source" ("Zoodochos Pigi") is an important historical and architectural monument. The main relic of the monastery is the ancient Byzantine icon of St. Nicholas. However, the excellent wooden iconostasis of the monastery catholicon also deserves special attention.
