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MONASTERIES
Located on the northeastern tip of Skiathos, the Monastery of the Annunciation of Virgin Mary, commonly known as the Evangelistria Monastery, is an important Orthodox church, gracefully lying on a beautiful spot, surrounded by a bosky hillside, a few kilometers away from Skiathos Town.
Evangelistria was founded in 1794 by a group of monks from the monastery of Mount Athos. The monastery’s beautiful iconostasis is wood-carved and adorned with icons dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. Although some of the monastery’s buildings were once ruined, the main construction with its accommodation edifices have been restored, and you can also find there a small museum with various objects from the history of Evangelistria.
The Monastery of Panagia Kounistra (also known as Ikonistra) is another picturesque monastery of Skiathos, ensconced in the middle of a pine forest on the south-western side of the island. There in the woods, an ascetic monk found an icon of the Virgin Mary (“Panagia” in Greek) hanging from a tall pine tree, in the 17th century. Of course, this was considered to be a miracle, so a monastery was built nearby, and Panagia Kounistra became the island’s patron saint and protector.
They named the monastery “Kounistra”, meaning “the swinging one” because the icon was moving to and fro when the monk found it. The monastery’s wooden iconostasis, frescoes, and icons are marvelous works of art dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries. The miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary is hosted in the Cathedral church of Skiathos Town, and you can see a copy of it in Kounistra Monastery.
Evangelistria was founded in 1794 by a group of monks from the monastery of Mount Athos. The monastery’s beautiful iconostasis is wood-carved and adorned with icons dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. Although some of the monastery’s buildings were once ruined, the main construction with its accommodation edifices have been restored, and you can also find there a small museum with various objects from the history of Evangelistria.
The Monastery of Panagia Kounistra (also known as Ikonistra) is another picturesque monastery of Skiathos, ensconced in the middle of a pine forest on the south-western side of the island. There in the woods, an ascetic monk found an icon of the Virgin Mary (“Panagia” in Greek) hanging from a tall pine tree, in the 17th century. Of course, this was considered to be a miracle, so a monastery was built nearby, and Panagia Kounistra became the island’s patron saint and protector.
They named the monastery “Kounistra”, meaning “the swinging one” because the icon was moving to and fro when the monk found it. The monastery’s wooden iconostasis, frescoes, and icons are marvelous works of art dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries. The miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary is hosted in the Cathedral church of Skiathos Town, and you can see a copy of it in Kounistra Monastery.
