Municipality of Serifos

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22810 51210 - 22810 52311
Chora Serifou 84005, Serifos
info@serifos.gr

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The Monastery of Taxiarches

The Monastery of Taxiarches

(click here for English version )

 

The Monastery of the Brigadiers is dedicated to the guardians of the island Archangels Gabriel and Michael. According to the Code of the monastery, written by the abbot Kallinikos Gryparis (1783-1795), it was founded in 1570-72, but it is said that a small church already existed in its place from the middle of the 15th century.

 

According to the tradition, a Cypriot ship that left Cyprus in 1570, when the last was occupied by the Turkish, ended up in Platys Gialos. On this ship was the image of Michael Archangel, which the captain of the ship donated to the church. At the same time, the cells where the monks lived began to be built around it. The image which was considered miraculous, made the church famous in the Cyclades and the rest Greece, and brought wealth thanks to the donations sent by the faithful. This fact soon attracted the interest of the pirates who pillaged the Aegean Sea and was the reason for frequent raids on the island, with Taxiarchis being one of the main targets. Thus, the building was repeatedly damaged, until 1659 when it took its current fortress-like form.

 

The ‘’castle-monastery’’ of Taxiarches adopted a fortified design with a high surrounding wall, battlements, and observatories for the guards, which unfortunately did not survive till today. The one and only small entry was placed high (almost 4 meters) and a ladder was used for the access, which was removed each time the monastery was attacked. Later the hanging ladder was replaced by a permanent stone staircase. Right over it a crevice was opened, through which the monks could defend themselves, by throwing hot oil to the raiders when they attempted to enter. As you pass the doorstep of the Monastery you will see the vaulted temple, with its vividly colored double-door sharply contrasting the wrinkled façade. Behind the double belfry stands the dome of the church, whitewashed, as the whole Monastery

 

Its interion was covered with frescoes, much of which was destroyed in the early 20th century, but the perfectly preserved wooden temple still hosts a lot of iconographies, pictures of saints and votive offerings. The center of the floor is adorned, since the middle of the 17th century, by a marble slab with the Two-Headed Eagle engraved, a holy symbol of the Byzantine Empire that was adopted by the Orthodox Church. Of particular interest are the treasures of the monastery where there are remarkable worship utensils, manuscripts, the golden iconostasis, and the Holy Code (of 1754). In 1909, it was also founded a library in the Monastery.

 

The temple is surrounded by the various rooms of the Monastery, spread over two levels, such as the abbey, the mutual-teaching school, the library, the laundry, the hand mills, the kitchen, and the monk’s cells. The minimal design of the buildings gives a peaceful feeling, you will be thrilled and enjoy the wonderful view from the balcony of the abbey.