Administrative Region : Attica
Regional unit : West Attica
Moni Osiou Meletiou (Μονή Οσίου Μελετίου) West Attica
The Holy Monastery of Saint Meletios is an Orthodox nunnery belonging to the Holy Metropolis of Megara and Salamis and is located on the southeastern side of Mount Pastras at an altitude of 520 meters and within the administrative boundaries of the Municipality of Mandra-Eidylia.
Historical information
The Monastery of Saint Meletios was probably founded in the late 11th century, on the site of a rather older monastery. The founder of the monastery was Saint Meletios, who came from Cappadocia and was a follower of complete landlessness, while he was also a reformer of monastic life.[2][3] In addition to the main monastery, he also founded 24 ecclesiastical metochia (paralauria) in various areas of Attica, some of which survive to this day, while others are in ruins.[4] Saint Meletios was a protector and miracle worker for the inhabitants of the area and was widely recognized, as Emperor Alexios Komnenos donated sources of income to the monastery[5]. A historical source to which the monastery responds are the letters of Michael Choniates, as this learned metropolitan maintained regular correspondence with the abbot of the Monastery[4] and described it as a "philosophical pen"[5]. After his death on 1 September 1105, Saint Meletios was buried within the monastery that he had founded[5][3].
Over time, the monastery acquired great fame, became stauropegic and maintained its heyday until the 16th century, when it was renovated by Metropolitan Nikanor of Athens. Over the centuries, it suffered many disasters from raids and looting, and in the years after the liberation it declined, while in 1883 it became a medio of the Monastery of Faneromeni of Salamis. It was reestablished in 1928 by the Archbishop of Athens and in 1950 the monastic community was converted into a women's community[2][5][6].
The monastery celebrates on September 1, the feast day of Saint Meletios.
Architecture
The monastery today is a complex of Byzantine and modern buildings that are harmoniously combined. The catholicon dates back to the 12th century and is a small church, cruciform in plan with a dome supported on four columns. On the south side is an attached chapel in honor of the Taxiarches, while inside the church there is a crypt where the tomb of Saint Meletios is located.
Only a few samples of the original iconography of the church survive. The existing frescoes in the main church and the narthex date back to the 17th century.[2][4][5][6]
References
(Greek) Database of the Hellenic Statistical Authority.
«Holy Monastery of Saint Meletios of Kithairona - Holy Monasteries». www.religiousgreece.gr. Retrieved July 10, 2016.[dead link]
Kontoglou, Fotis. "Saint Meletios and his Monastery in Kithairona". Institute for the Study of Modern Hellenism. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
"BYZANTINE MONUMENTS OF ATTICA". www.eie.gr. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
"The Monastery of Saint Meletios in Megaris". Retrieved July 10, 2016.[dead link]
"Holy Monastery of Saint Meletios (Oinois) - dervenoxoria.gr". Archived from the original on 30 June 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
Bibliography
Konstantopoulos, Konstantinos M. (1924). "The Monastery of Saint Meletius and Metropolitan Nikanor of Athens". Bulletin of the Christian Archaeological Society 11 (a-b): 49-61.
Bouras, Char. and Laskarina Boura, Greek Church Building in the 12th Century, ed. Commercial Bank of Greece, Athens 2001, pp. 232-240. ISBN 960-7059-12-3.
Papadopoulos, Ch. Hosios Meletios the Younger, Athens 1968.
Lambros Sp., Michael Akominatos of Choniatos: The surviving works, volume 2, Athens 1880, pp. 155 and 605.
Deliyanni-Doris H., Die Wandmalereien der Lite der Hosios Meletios, Munich 1975.
| Municipal Community Mandra |
|---|
| Agios Georgios (Άγιος Γεώργιος, ο) |
| Agios Sotiras (Άγιος Σωτήρ, ο) |
| Agios Charalambos (Άγιος Χαράλαμπος, ο) |
| Diodia (Διόδια, τα) |
| Thea (Θέα, η) |
| Lefka (Λεύκα, η) |
| Loutsa (Λούτσα, η) |
| Mandra (Μάνδρα, η) |
| Moni Osiou Meletiou (Μονή Οσίου Μελετίου, η) |
| Nea Zoi (Νέα Ζωή, η) |
| Palaiochori (Παλαιοχώρι, το) |
| Pournari (Πουρνάρι, το) |
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