Traveler's Guide

East Macedonia & Thrace

Church of Holy Mary Archangeliotissa

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Northeast of Xanthi, on the outskirts of the mountainous mass of Rhodope in an extremely wonderful position, overlooking the plain of Xanthi, just above the Samakov region, you can find the third monastery of Xanthi, Holy Mary Archangeliotissa. The monastery during the whole year including the 15th of August, becomes a place of pilgrimage for the whole population of Thrace. The monastery as a building as it is today, was built in 1841 during the time of the late Metropolitan of Xanthi Evgeniou. But it existed in the same place several hundred years before, and it was destroyed by two terrible earthquakes that struck the monastery and the town in 1829. The lack of information from other sources or inscriptions can be resolved by some notes and remembrances recorded at times in various religious books from the monks who lived in the monastery. These codes and religious books informs us that the monastery existed by the same name even during 1559. In a code you could see the remembering: "this monastery belongs to the Blessed Virgin Mary of Archangeliotissas as it is named after, above the town of Xanthi." The exact source of the monastery’s name is unknown. According to one version it comes from the small miraculous icon of the 16th century representing the Virgin to stand next to the archangels Gabriel and Michael, which has the inscription: Archangeliotissa.


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  • Contact Information
    +30 25410-29799.