Sights

Churches and Monasteries

Coordinates: 39.122738, 23.751736

Monastery of Evangelistria (Annunciation of the Virgin Mary)

The Monastery of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary is famous for its connection with the family of Kaisarios Dapontes, an 18th-century Skopelite poet and monk. It was built by his father, Stephanos Dapontes, in 1712, on the ruins of an earlier Byzantine monastery from 1676.

According to tradition, Stephanos Dapontes, a British consul on the island, was handed over to the Turkish commander by the local notables of Skopelos in 1712 to be executed, but he was miraculously saved. To thank the Virgin Mary, he renovated the monastery, at a cost of "5 pugia (purses)," or 2,500 grosi (the currency of the time). His sons, Ioannis and Kaisarios, continued the work of maintaining the monastery, with Kaisarios living here as a monk at times.

This imposing monastery with its fortress-like appearance is located on a difficult-to-access side of a gorge, offering an exceptional view of the town of Skopelos. It is a female monastery that celebrates the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary on March 25th.

Upon entering the inner courtyard, you will see a fountain mentioning the founder as "Hadji-Stephanis" Dapontes (the title "Hadjis" was given to those who had visited the Holy Lands). Inside the katholikon, you can admire the iconostasis and the Despotic Throne, exceptional works of art from 1777, as well as remarkable surviving icons, including the "Panagia Pammakaristos," dating from the 15th-16th century, depicting the Virgin Mary "sitting on a throne with a silver crown, and the child in gold," as noted by Kaisarios Dapontes.

 

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