Monasteries

The Holy Monastery of Elona

‘Ούρα κα και τσαι βογκητά ποίετε ένα σταυρέ ταν Έωνη’
Goodbye and be blessed and make the sign of cross at Panagia Elona

As the sign wishes on your way out of Leonidio to Elona. Notable are also the monasteries of the area with the monastery of Panagia Elona playing a leading part. The monastery is dedicated to the Mother of God and is famous for its Icon, a work by Evangelist Louka, one of the seventy the Saint offered to the Mother of God. The Monastery of Elona is located in a place that takes your breath away. It is miraculously swinging over chaos, supervising the ravine that river Dafnonas creates. Over the monastery vertical red rocks are raised as if they are covering it. The monastery was built in the 16th century and today apart from the miraculous Icon of the Mother of God, it “offers hospitality” to many other Mortal Remains, Gospels and Relics, such as offerings of people who has been blessed by some of Her Miracles.

The Holy Monastery of Saint Nikolas Sintzas

Another big Monastery of Kynouria is (Saint) Agios Nikolaos of Sintza. Agios Nikolaos is specially honored in the area for his special connection with the sea and the impetuous waters that come down from the tops of the surrounding mountains. The Saint supervises all the watery swirls and takes care of them and calms them down. “Sintza” means fig tree in the Tsakonian dialect and indeed fig trees decorate this steep and craggy corner, which is at the west side of Leonidio. The monastery was built in the 13th century and it “Flies” between earth and sky. The miraculous Icon of the Saint quotes his Assumption, something that makes it special it the bounds of Icon-Painting. Very close to the monastery you can find the significant Cave of Dionysos, while other archaeological researches has shown that the caves of the area had been inhabited during the Neolithic Era.

The Holy Monastery of Saint Nikolaos Karyas

Also famous, is the Monastery of Karya which is on the Mesa of Parnona, South of Leonidio. Wonderful murals of 1638 bedeck the catholic of the Temple paints by Moscian Monks from Nafplio. According to the legend when robbers set fire on the Monastery, the Relics and the Icons they couldn’t steal remained miraculously unburned.

Skip to content