Agathonos Monastery

In a magical landscape,on the way to Lychnos and close to Ypati we find Agathonos Monastery, on a height of 553 metres on the slope of Mount Oiti. Built in the 14th-15th century it is a characteristic sample of the Byzantine Style/Architecture. According to tradition, there was a landslide in the old Monastery where Saint Agathonas was leading an ascetic life and the picture of Virgin Mary disappeared to be found in a sunlit cave. Just beside the cave, near the place where it is located today, the Saint built the Monastery sometime in the 14th or 15th century. Even today the inhabitants of the surrounding villages and especially those of the close-by village of Lychnos talk about the existence 'in the old days' of a monastery in the southwest part of the village in a near-by location called 'Paliomanastiro'.However, the exact time cannot be specified. The Monastery after Saint Agathonas' death has been named after his name by the friars. Following the disasters made to the Monastery by invaders in the district of Ypati, the Holy Agathonos Monastery has suffered a lot of damage. A major catastrophy occured in 1822 by Dramalis' forces who set fire to the main church. Many heirlooms and honorable relics are saved into the Monastery. The holy heirlooms, that can be found in he Monastery Museum are of great variety and interest. Tenths of crosses, holy utensils, tabernacles, holy relics, holy icons, vestments, codes, books were collected from churches and destroyed monasteries of the area from the Abbot Germanos Dimakos and in this way they were saved from illicit antiquity dealers. The oldest book in the library was written by Ioustinos, a Philosopher and Martyr, dating back to 1551, It was offered by the Bishop Filotheos of Zitouni to the Monastery. In many service books of the Monastery we can find interesting memories of Abbots and Friars, which are of great historic value for the life of the Monastery and the surrounding villages.  During the time of the 1821 revolution the Monastery offered major services.  For the success of the revolution the Monastery offered the friars themselves who fought along with the Patratzikioti Chief in Arms, Mitsos Kontogiannis. Regular gatherings were performed in the Monastery whose Abbot was the Archimandrite Germanos Dimakos, the legendary fighter of the Resistance, 'Minister Impatient' as he was called and a close collaborator of Aris Velouchiotis. In our days, in the premises of the Monastery the visitor can enjoy the nature and experience the religious feeling as well as feel the effort that was made throughout time for the protection and preservation of the National consciousness. The visitor can admire the unique habitat with the peacocks, the pheasants, the partridges, the ducks and other bird species. He/She has the pleasure to see deer, pheasants, wild sheep and partridges in a special space of approximately 1.200 acres, that houses the Kennel of Agathonos Monastery. The visitor also has the chance to visit the Natural History Museum, in which the most important species of the fauna and flora of Oiti National Park are exhibited. Different schools operated in the Monastery, hieratic, agricultural and sylvan. A wild animal kennel  and a Museum of the Natural History of Oiti (1953) operates within the premises. On 6th and 15th August there is a yearly celebration.

 

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