Nea Moni

11km south of the town of Chios lies the most important religious site of the island. Built in the 11th century, Nea Moni (= New Monastery) is one of the most important Byzantine monuments in Greece, and is also a UNESCO world heritage site. Some of the most significant mosaics in the Mediterranean as well as a museum are housed here.

In the 11th century AD the ascetics Nikitas, Ioannis and Iosif, who practiced a monastic life on the Provateio Mountain of Chios, had a common vision. It was of the image of the Virgin, insisting that her icon be returned to where it had been discovered, signalling the location where Palaia Moni (the Old Monastery) of Chios should be built.

The devout monks told the exiled Emperor Constantine IX Monomachos about this sign from God. Constantine promised to have the monastery put under his protection, and sealed the promise by giving the monks his princely ring. Immediately after his restoration to the throne of the Byzantine Empire, he erected Nea Moni of Chios, summoning an army of the greatest master craftsmen, marble sculptors and icon painters for this purpose. Since then Nea Moni of Chios has ornamented the heart of the island, 12 km west of the town.

Romanos IV Diogenes, who succeeded Constantine and later Theodora as emperor, always kept the Monastery under his protection. The concern of the throne for the monastery proved constant for as long as the Byzantine Empire was to last.

The “katholikon” (main church) of the Monastery has an octagonal design, which in the 11th century when it was built, was a pioneering architectural feature. Elaborately decorated with semi-transparent white and purple marble, with exquisite mosaic ornamentation, the majestic splendour it exudes makes it one of the most representative samples of the imperial sacred art and architecture.

Within the monastery grounds there are two other chapels, one dedicated to Agios Panteleimon (St. Panteleimon) and Timios Stavros (the Holy Cross). During the period that the monastery functioned as a male priory, women were not allowed access. The two chapels held services for female pilgrims, who were not allowed access to the main church.

The main site of the monastery houses the monks' cells, the refectory (‘trapeza’), which was erected between 1631 and 1637, the underground water cistern (‘kinsterna’), an 11th century construction, and the imposing defensive tower, which was built in the 14th century.

Nea Moni of Chios, its architecture as a whole, the unique relics it houses and the peace and quiet of the surrounding area make it a real treasure in the heart of the island of Chios.