The monastery of Evangelistria is located 4 km north of the city. It is one of the most remarkable monuments of the Northern Sporades.
The reconstruction of the Monastery began in 1794 by a small group of monks of the "Kollyvados" movement, who were forced to leave Mount Athos, due to the uproar that took place at the time on the occasion of the day when the memorial services should have been held normally, the That is, Saturday instead of Sunday and the main slogan is the return to the ancient tradition of the Church.
The leader of this group was the hieromonk Nifon, by birth name Nikolaos "from the generation of the Nikolarads", who was born in 1736 in Patrika of Chios. The construction of the Monastery complex was completed in 1806 and it became the main center of the Kollyvadas both during the conflict and in later times. The spirit of the Kollyvadas strongly influenced the lives of the residents of Skiathos and the most notable Greek prose writers from Skiathos, Alexandros Papadiamantis, and the also writer from Skiathos, Alexandros Moraitidis. The Monastery of Evangelistria provided important moral and material help both to the pre-revolutionary movements and to the revolution of 1821. In 1807, the first Greek Flag with the white Cross in the middle on a blue background was designed, revealed, blessed and raised in it. In and Nifon swore in the chieftains Theodoros Kolokotronis, Andreas Miaoulis, Papathymios Vlahavas, Yiannis Stathas, Nikotsaras, the Skiathite teacher of Genus Epifanio - Stefanos Dimitriadis and many others, after a large meeting held in the Monastery of Evangelistria to formulate the plan of action their. In the Monastery of Evangelistria, finally in 1839, the cleric and philosopher Theophilos Kairis, after being condemned by the First Synod, remained under confinement.
The katholikon (Holy Church) of the Monastery, located in the center of the complex, is a four-cornered church with a dome with remains of frescoes dating back to the 18th century. Impressive is the rich wood-carved iconostasis with notable portable icons of the 17th and 18th centuries. Only the Agios Vima of the church was painted in 1822, by painters from Galatista, Halkidiki. The rest of the Temple is undecorated. From the old ancillary facilities of the monastery, the catholicon, the half-ruined cells of the south wing, the hearth and the furnace are preserved.
A large number of holy relics are kept in the Monastery of Evangelistria, a real sacred treasure.
In the katholikon) of the Monastery are kept the Holy Relics of the Saints: Charalambous, Panteleimon, Paraskevi, Dionysius the Areopagite, John Chrysostom, Athanasius the Great, Euthymius, Theodore the Stratilatus, Polycarp of Smyrna, Tryphon, Con/nou of Hydra, Niphonos of Con/polis . Many of them were donated by Admiral Lazaros Kountouriotis in 1823 in recognition of the great contribution of the Monastery to the liberation of the nation.
Patriarchal lead seals, seals and letters, manuscripts of the last five centuries, printed books of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, letters of St. Nikodimos of Agioreitos, Kon/nos Economos, Theophilos Kairis and many others.
In the sacristy, what was saved from the holy relics are kept: silver-plated holy glasses, discs, bread-bowls, tongs, silver and wooden crosses of blessing, hexapteryga, hand-made and hand-written Gospel with gold, silver and precious stones of rare art from 1539, two other Gospels with an engraving of 1785, censers, incense burners from 1755, epitaphs, liturgy, candlesticks, etc.
A large number of portable icons from the 9th, 12th, and 16th up to the 19th century are kept in the catholicon and the sacristy, such as "Rodon to Amaranton", Ag. John the Forerunner, Dormition of the Virgin, Pantokrator, Ag. Theoktistis, St. George of Ioannina et al. Finally, in the old olive press of the Monastery, in which the Folklore Museum was recently installed, many household utensils, agricultural and construction tools, a loom, etc. are on display.
Thousands of pilgrims flock on the fifteenth of August to the monastery, where the epitaph of the Virgin Mary is taken out in the evening, in an atmosphere of unique ecstasy, under the moving melody of the praises of the Theotokos sung together by the people of Skiathos. A custom found only in a few parts of Greece.
Editor: Fotini Anastasopoulou
