METOCHIA AND CHAPELS

Located at hard-to-access, secluded spots, the hermits΄ cells exercise in their turn a strange attraction to the visitor, inviting him to meditation.

 The hermit΄s cell of Christ΄s Birth is located in a cave, against a wonderful scenery. There gushes holy water and are preserved the small church where the Saint celebrated the Mass and the narrow cell in which he lived.

 The ΄΄Palaiomonastiro΄΄, to the west of the main Monastery, was, according to tradition, St. Dionysios΄΄ first and initial shelter. Earlier, there had been a ruined little church. Today, on this steep location there are ruins of a small tower bearing all the traits of the typical watch tower of Athonite monasteries. From this location one could visually inspect the whole Enipeas valley as far as the sea.

 The highest Christian Orthodox country church, dedicated to Prophet Elias, adorns the homonymic peak (2,803 meters). It was built in the 16th century by St. Dionysios, who celebrated the Mass and sojourned there from time to time. The chapel of St. Lazarus, where St. Dionysios died, and the cemetery church dedicated to St. John the Baptist, are some of the chapels surrounding the Monastery.

 Earlier there were also other chapels dating back to St. Dionysios΄ era, for some of which, i.e. that of Metamorphosis on the homonymic peak, their location is known to us, while for others their location was forgotten as time went by.

 There were also many chapels at the foot of Mount Olympus, such as those of St. Dimitrios, St. Georgios, Ste. Makrina, and Ste. Paraskevi, of which only ruins remain today.

 In parallel, in the course of its history, the Monastery acquired also a number of dependency monasteries or churches (Metochion), such as those of St. Georgios Korinos, St. Georgios Ritinis, Panagia Makrirachi, Panagia Kanalon, Ste. Solomoni, Ste. Matrona, Metochion in Katerini, Veria, Elassona, Pyrgetos, etc.