Elona Monastery
The Elona Monastery ( Greek Μονή Ελώνης or Ελώνα ) is a Greek Orthodox monastery in the north of Arcadia . The women's convent was inhabited by four nuns according to the 2001 census.
Elona was built on a steep coast of the Parnon Mountains . It is 35 kilometers from Tire and 17 kilometers from Leonidi . The village of Kosmas is in the immediate vicinity ; the three parishes have been united since 2010 to form the new parish Notia Kynouria .
history
The history of the monastery begins in 1300. Shepherds saw a light in an inaccessible place on the cliff. According to legend, this light came from an oil lamp that was lit in front of an icon of St. Panagia . The bishop commissioned two hermits from the area, Kallinikos and Dositheos, to settle at the site, where they then built a small monastery with two cells.
The two were killed by two Turkish robbers. One of the robbers went blind while attempting to rob the monastery due to a bright light emanating from the icon. The robbers repented, the inhabitants of the neighboring village Kosmas prayed for them, and the blinded man regained his sight. Later, the robbers in Turkey are said to have reached influential positions and promoted the monastery and the village. In the following period the monastery flourished and attracted large numbers of pilgrims and donors. The icon was said to have the power to heal the sick.
After the Orlov revolt of 1770, the Turks ravaged the Peloponnese in retaliation . The monastery was set on fire and looted and the monks killed. The monastery was rebuilt in the following decade.
The monastery flourished significantly in the first decade of the nineteenth century. A new church was built, as well as some farm buildings, some of which are still preserved, even after a road was broken through.
The flowering of the monastery prompted the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople to make the monastery the Stauropegia Monastery, a monastery directly subordinate to the patriarchate and not to the bishop. This success led to the bestowal of numerous privileges through decrees of the sultan, but also to an annual tax that the monastery had to pay to the patriarchate. In this way, the impending expropriation of the monastery assets was avoided.
The Elona Monastery also played an important role in the Greek War of Independence of 1821 , which is particularly attested in a document from the Peloponnesian Senate from 1823.
Under the rule of King Otto of Greece (1832–1862) the monastery was briefly dissolved in the course of the secularization decree of 1833, but then classified as worthy of preservation. It was a men's convent until 1971 and was converted into a women's convent in 1972.
The church building
The church building of the monastery dates from 1809, as can be seen from an inscription in the middle of the entrance. It was built on the foundations of the church building previously destroyed by the Turks and is larger than the previous building. It is 14.90 meters long and 5.10 meters wide.
It has no dome and no images of saints. Its iconostasis is carved from walnut wood. Above are paintings depicting both the Old and New Testaments . The bell tower was erected in 1833.
The church was dedicated to the Assumption of Mary and therefore celebrates its consecration on August 15th . The original of the Panagia icon will only be presented in the church this week; a copy will be there for the rest of the year.
Theft of the icon
On August 18, 2006, the historical icon of Panagia was stolen from the monastery together with the offerings. The news of the theft caused outrage and was spread in the Greek and international mass media. The icon was found 38 days after the robbery by the police in the village of Farakló in Laconia . The perpetrator was caught and the icon was ceremoniously returned to its place.
A year after the icon was found again, a small votive iconostasis with a copy of the Panagia icon was erected near the site at the expense of the Greek police .
literature
- Αρχιμανδρίτης Αλέξανδρος Παπαδόπουλος: Η Ιερά Μονή Υπεραγίας Θεοτόκου Ελώνης Κυνουρίας. Tripoli 1975.
Web links
- arcadonxronoi.gr Detailed description, numerous photos (Greek)
- Inarcadia.gr (Greek)
Individual evidence
- ↑ 2001 census (PDF; 1.009 kB) National Statistical Service of Greece (ΕΣΥΕ), p. 30
- ↑ a b arcadonxronoi.gr ( Memento of the original from September 28, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b Greek police hunt for stolen icon . BBC , August 19, 2006 (English); Retrieved August 6, 2011
- ↑ Evangelical Church Lexicon
- ↑ Στο μικροσκόπιο τρεις Ρουμάνες μοναχές. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Report on the church robbery, Ελευθεροτυπία, August 22, 2006 (Greek); Retrieved August 6, 2011
- ↑ Εντοπίστηκε η κλεμμένη από τη Μονή Έλωνας εικόνα της Παναγίας Βρεφοκρατούσας. Report on the find on in.gr, September 23, 2006; Retrieved August 6, 2011
- ↑ Πανηγυρικά στην Έλωνα η Βρεφοκρατούσα ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Ελευθεροτυπία, October 2, 2006 (Greek); Retrieved August 6, 2011.
Coordinates: 37 ° 8 ′ 44.3 " N , 22 ° 46 ′ 8.3" E