On sunday 6th of september 2020, we took the opportunity to discover a bit more about Chios island and went on a trip to Nea Moni. We arrived a bit early therefore leaving us the time to look around and stroll through the abandoned buildings that once were the servants quarters.
Nea Moni is a monastery located in the center of the island, approximatly 15 km from Chios. The place has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was built in the middle of the 11th century by the Byzantine emperor Constantine IX Monomachos. The location was chosen thanks to the discovery of an icon of the virgin Mary by three monks named Nikitas, Ioannes and Iosif.
During the byzantine period, the monastery got very prosper, amassing substantial riches and became one of the wealthiest monastery in the Aegean. Around 1300, there was approximately 800 monks living in the monastery.
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