Moni Thari Church, Laerma, Greece

Reached through a forest, the domed church of Moni Thari was hidden from view in order to escape the attention of marauding pirates. According to legend, it was built in the 9th century by a mortally ill Byzantine princess, who miraculously recovered when it was completed.

The 12th-century north and south walls remain, and there are vestiges of the 9th-century building in the grounds. The nave, apse and dome are covered with frescoes. Some walls have four layers of paintings, the earliest dating as far back as 1100, while there are three layers in the apse dating from the 12th-16th centuries. These are more distinct, and depict a group of prophets and a horse’s head. The monastery has been extended and has basic accommodation for visitors.

References:

visitrhodes.com

Religious sites in Greece

User Reviews

Lynne Allan (2 years ago)
A most beautiful, tranquil place we have ever bren.....

Fernando Di Menna (2 years ago)
Nice place to visit and put your mind to zero. The monks are very nice to talk to. Please wear decent cloths.

andré van elferen (2 years ago)
Beautiful place. If you have time and so on. You need to visit this. The journey is more important then the location.

Vsevolod Vlasov (2 years ago)
Friendly monchs gave us 4 bunches of different grapes (I think they liked my 6yo son). They also showed the fig tree and recommended to try the fruits. The church itself is clearly very old but I a good shape. The garden around is amazing with a lot of grape shades.

Hea Za (2 years ago)
Discriminatory against women. I was (deliberately) wearing a shoulder-covering, sleeved, high-necked, non-form-fitting dress which hangs at my knees (which I normally wear at work, as a teacher) and was still ordered to put on a 'sack' to cover myself, whereas my shorts-wearing husband was not. THIS IS 2019 and EUROPE, PEOPLE, not Saudi Arabia!! If the monks find even a hint of the female form too distracting from their prayers, perhaps they should join a completely closed order that doesn't allow tourists and is set in the wilderness? We snorted and left.

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