In the area of Naoussa, near the Korakas cape, is located the Monastery of Agios Ioannis Detis. The name "Detis" is related to the Saint's ability to cure (bind) malaria, which plagued the island in the 18th and 19th centuries, but also to the location of the Monastery as an anchoring place for ships. The position Agios Ioannis is mentioned in handwritten portolans (a type of nautical chart) of 1530 of the Library of the Hellenic Parliament, Zagora (Pilio), in a printed Venetian portolan (1573) by D. Taia as well as in 18th century maps of the Russian fleet. The establishment of the Monastery dates back to the 16th century, while its renovation is set, according to the surviving inscription on the temple, on June 16, 1806 by the monk Joseph. In 1833, the Monastery was abandoned by the monks. From 1964 to 1982, the Dutch painter Gisele D' Ailly deals with the maintenance of the monastery. The monastic area includes the church of Agios Ioannis the Forerunner (cruciform with a dome) and a series of ground-floor buildings (cells, hostels). The Monastery celebrates on August 29, the day of the Epitome of John the Forerunner.
Editor: Niki Kalopaidis
