The figure of Archangel Michael in his relief image appears shaded. Tradition preserved the history of the monastery, which was sacked by Saracen pirates towards the end of the first millennium. All the monks were slaughtered except the novice monk Gabriel, who escaped thanks to a miracle of the Archangel. Gabriel after collecting the blood of his slaughtered comrades and mixing it with clay, carved the form of the Chief of the Order of Angels.
Editor: Fotini Anastasopoulou