The Monastery of the Annunciation ( el, Ιερά Μονή Ευαγγελισμού της Θεοτόκου), commonly known as the Evangelistria Monastery ( el, Ιερά Μονή Ευαγγελίστριας), is a monastery dedicated to the

Annunciation The Annunciation (from Latin '), also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the biblical tale of the announcement by the ange ...

of the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

which sits on a hillside some 4 km north of Skiathos town on the Greek island of

Skiathos Skiathos ( el, Σκιάθος, , ; grc, Σκίαθος, ; and ) is a small Greek island in the northwest Aegean Sea. Skiathos is the westernmost island in the Northern Sporades group, east of the Pelion peninsula in Magnesia on the mainland, ...

. Although some buildings are ruined, the church and accommodation buildings have been restored. The monastery was founded in 1794 by a group of

Kollyvades The Kollyvades ( el, Κολλυβάδες) were the members of a movement within the Eastern Orthodox Church that began in the second half of the eighteenth century among the monastic community of Mount Athos, which was concerned with the restoratio ...

monks, who had left the monastery of

Mount Athos Mount Athos (; el, Ἄθως, ) is a mountain in the distal part of the eponymous Athos peninsula and site of an important centre of Eastern Orthodox monasticism in northeastern Greece. The mountain along with the respective part of the penins ...

after disagreements about matters of Christian ritual. They were led by an ordained monk, Niphon of Chios, and included Gregorios Hatzistamatis, a local monk who had inherited land on Skiathos from his father. In 1807, a group of Greek freedom fighters met at the monastery and swore the Oath of Freedom on a newly designed Greek flag, a white cross on a sky-blue background, which was woven on a loom at the site. The fighters included

Theodoros Kolokotronis Theodoros Kolokotronis ( el, Θεόδωρος Κολοκοτρώνης; 3 April 1770 – 4 February 1843) was a Greek general and the pre-eminent leader of the Greek War of Independence (1821–1829) against the Ottoman Empire. Kolokotronis's g ...

Andreas Vokos Miaoulis Andreas Vokos, better known by his nickname Miaoulis ( el, Ανδρέας Βώκος Μιαούλης; 1765 – 24 June 1835), was a Greek revolutionary, admiral, and politician who commanded Greek naval forces during the Greek War of Inde ...

, Thymios Vlachavas, Nikotsaras and others. The Catholicon of the monastery is a Byzantine-style

cross-in-square A cross-in-square or crossed-dome floor plan, plan was the dominant architectural form of middle- and late-period Byzantine Empire, Byzantine church architecture, churches. It featured a square centre with an internal structure shaped like a cross ...

three-aisled church, with three domes, and stands at the centre of the complex. The

iconostasis In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis ( gr, εἰκονοστάσιον) is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a Church (building), church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand t ...

is wood carved and bears icons dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. Loom, Evangelistria Monastery, Skiathos

The museum houses ecclesiastical artefacts and presents information on the history of the Monastery such as priests' vestments, rare books and manuscripts from the 17th century, gospels from the 18th century, silver and wooden crosses and Byzantine icons. The loom on which the first Greek flag was created can be seen. There is also a photographic record of the subsequent

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted by ...

, which lasted from 1821 until 1829. Vineyards have been created for the production of Alypiakos, a red

Muscat Muscat ( ar, مَسْقَط, ) is the capital and most populated city in Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is s ...

which was first produced on the island in the 5th century BC. The wine is named after Father Alypos, the fourth abbot of the monastery. Output has increased year on year, some of which is used within the Monastery on religious occasions. Today, the monastery is served by only four resident monks; three others associated with the monastery reside elsewhere. On 25 March each year the ceremony of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary takes place. Access is by foot from Skiathos town up a steep metalled road or by public minibus from Skiathos town bus terminus. Entrance to the monastery itself is usually free.

References

{{Authority control Skiathos Monasteries in Thessaly Museums in Thessaly Religious museums in Greece Christian monasteries established in the 18th century 1794 establishments in the Ottoman Empire 18th-century establishments in Greece