The Monastery of Soumela
The Monastery of Soumela is a Greek Orthodox monastery which was dedicated to Theotokos. The monastic complex is located at Karadag (Black Mountain, Sou Mela) which is a part of Pontic Mountains and today in Maçka, Trabzon. Soumela is nestled in a steep cliff at an altitude of about 1200 meters, facing the Altindere Valley. […]
Daphni Monastery
The Daphni Monastery lies in Chaidari along the route of the ancient Hiera Odos to Eleusis. It stands on a site where in the antiquity was the sanctuary of Apollo Daphnaios; the latter was destroyed in 395 when the Goths invaded Attica. The only still visible remain in situ is an Ionic column in the […]
Nea Mone
Founders of the monastery of Nea Mone, dedicated to Virgin, are the emperor Constantine IX Monomachos and the empress Zoe. Its construction started in 1042 and finished in 1055, that is after the death of the Emperor. Due to lavish donations through imperial decrees, the monastery became one of the biggest landowners on the island […]
Benedictine Abbey St. Salvator
The Benedictine Abbey of St. Salvator is located in the middle of the inner city of the picturesque climatic health resort of Prüm in the Eifel-Ardennes. Its central location within the Frankish Empire brought the monastery the special favour of the Carolingian rulers and enabled it to develop into one of the most important early […]
The Benedicte Abbey of Ottobeuren
Ottobeuren is located in the region of Oberschwaben near the alpine region of the Allgäu in the province of Baden-Würrtemberg. The town is situated between within a flat valley, through which the small tributary of the Danube river, the Western Günz, is traversing. More broadly, Ottobeuren is situated in relatively close proximity to the Bodensee […]
The Benedictine Monastery St. Burkard
The Benedictine Abbey St. Burkard in Würzburg has its origin in the Andreas Monastery which was founded in 748 by St. Burkard, the first bishop of Würzburg. Over the course of the 10th century, the impoverished Benedictine monastery was abandoned until it was rebuilt and revived by Bishop Hugo in 986. Similtaneously, the monastery also […]
The Benedictine Abbey of St. Emmeram in Regensburg
The monastery of St. Emmeram is situated within the old center of Regensburg in the province of Bavaria. Regensburg can trace its history back to antiquity, when it was founded as a fortress for the Roman Legio III Italica in 170. Soon after, a civilian municipality was founded just westwards from the fortress. During the […]
Saint Vitus Monastery of Ellwangen
The town of Ellwangen, belonging to the province of Badem-Würrtemberg in the south of Germany, is situated mostly on the eastern bank of the river Jagst, which in turn flows through the manifold forested hills of the broader ‚Schwäbisch-Fränkische Waldberge‘. Though in modern days, the Jagst‘s course has been straightened to the demands of civilization […]
St. Athanasius Monastery
According to tradition, it is considered the oldest active monastery in Europe. It was founded in 344 by St. Athanasius, Archbishop of Alexandria. Saint Athanasius was born in 295 or 296 in Alexandria, Egypt, in a family of Christians. Excellently educated, he devoted himself to the study of the Holy Scriptures. Because of the virtues […]
Monastery of Saint John of Pelekete
The Monastery of St. John is located ca 5 kilometers west of Trigleia on the south coast of the Sea of Marmara. It is also known as Pelekete which means “carved” probably to it being constructed upon a steep rock. Its foundation should be dated before the middle of the eighth century, as at that […]