Holy Monastery of Stavronikita

The Holy Monastery of Stavronikita is built on the coast, on a plateau, on the northeastern side of Mount Athos and is bathed by Strymonikos Gulf. It is the smallest in size Monastery of Mount Athos, but with traditional and very special architecture, as it has the form of a medieval castle, with a defensive tower and the built aqueduct that brings water to the Monastery, which is an architectural attraction. It is dedicated to Agios Nikolaos.

The first reports of a monastic community on the site date back to the 11th century. However, the construction of the monastery in its current form began in the 16th century. The Katholikon and the altar were painted by the great Cretan painter Theofanis Strelitzas. It is noteworthy that the Monastery is the only one that differs from the typical Mount Athos church building, due to the lack of space. The frescoes and icons of the iconostasis date from 1546.

The monastery has many chapels and a rich library, with rare, illustrated manuscripts and liturgical scrolls. In addition to the frescoes of Theophanes, there is a series of icons attributed to him. Among the other icons, the mosaic of Agios Nikolaos of Streida stands out, one of the rare specimens of its kind, and one of the painters Michael Damaskinos, of the second half of the 16th century, with the representation of the Prophet Elias.