Holy Monastery Of The Dormition Of The Virgin Mary At Vyssiani

The Holy Monastery of Panagia Vyssiani is located about ten kilometers north of Serres, near the village of Kato Metochi.

It took its name from the now-ruined settlement of "Vyssiani", which was destroyed in 1916 by the Bulgarian army and then abandoned. Officially referred to as the "Holy Monastery of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary", it has been operating since 1972 as a nunnery, built in a beautiful, green landscape overlooking the plain of Serres.

The monastery has a history of centuries and it played an important role during the Macedonian Struggle, as a hiding place for fighters and an ammunition warehouse. It suffered significant damage during the Balkan Wars and was restored in the 1920s on the initiative of local residents, while a Chapel of the Virgin Mary was erected on the site of the old Catholic Church, which was demolished.