Monastery of Skafidia

The Monastery of Skafidia is located on a slope near the sea, next to the river Iardanos, at the mouth of which are found Roman Thermae, while nearby is the Byzantine fortress of Pontikokastro. From the Byzantine era, only the katholicon, located on the north side of the courtyard, is preserved, while the aisles date back to the post-Byzantine and modern times. Several variants have been put forward for the origin of the name of the monastery and they link it to the form of the place that resembles a trough (skafidi), with the ancient Feia, with the local trough manufacturers, as well as with a lost icon of the Virgin Mary found at sea in a trough.

The dating of the monastery can be placed at the end of the 12th to the beginning of the 13th c. based on morphological and constructional characteristics, as the exact date of its construction has not been preserved. Over the centuries, the monastery underwent many renovations. From the Byzantine period, a part of the katholicon of the monastery has been preserved; originally the church was a three-aisled timber-roof basilica. From the first phase, the three-sided apse, the eastern wall up to the height of the parabemata and some parts of the roof are still preserved. During the first post-Byzantine phase, the building continues to maintain its original form. However, during the period of the Venetian rule, changes were observed in the form of the complex, such as: remodeling of the katholicon and the narthex, addition of a porch, reconstruction of the aisles and the defensive tower. Around 1710 the narthex was wall-painted, of which the entire decoration is preserved.

Today the monastery serves as a nunnery and hosts an archive and a library, where manuscripts and ecclesiastical relics are kept.

Copyediting: Ephorate of Antiquities of Ilia