Nea Moni Monastery

Nea Moni stands high in the hills of Chios, on the slopes of Mount Provatio, about fifteen kilometres from Chios Town, in a setting of pines and silence, and it is one of the finest monuments of Byzantine art in Greece. It was founded in the middle of the eleventh century, between 1042 and 1055, by the Emperor Constantine IX Monomachos and his wife, the Empress Zoe. According to the story, three monks found a miraculous icon of the Virgin in a myrtle tree on the mountain, and Constantine, then in exile on Lesbos, was told by them that he would become emperor. When he did, he kept his promise and built the monastery.

The church is a masterpiece of the style known as the Macedonian Renaissance, with a great octagonal dome and an interior covered in mosaics, glittering with gold and showing saints, angels and scenes from the life of Christ. Together with the monasteries of Daphni near Athens and Hosios Loukas near Delphi, it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1990 as one of the masterpieces of Byzantine art. The mosaics are made of small cubes of glass and gold leaf, set to catch candlelight, and, although parts have been lost to disasters, enough survives to give a vivid impression.

The monastery suffered terribly in 1822, during the Greek War of Independence, when Ottoman forces massacred much of the island's population and killed or drove away the monks. A small ossuary in the grounds holds the skulls of some of the victims, and the visit includes a sombre reminder of that history. A severe earthquake in 1881 later damaged the dome and the buildings, and the church was rebuilt in the twentieth century, using the surviving pieces where possible. Nuns lived at the monastery for a time in the later twentieth century, and today it is cared for as a museum and place of worship.

In the courtyard, the large cistern, a vaulted water store, and the ruined refectory show how the monastic community lived. A small museum displays icons, church objects and photographs, and gives context to the restoration. The grounds are shaded, and the view across the valley is calm.

The road to Nea Moni climbs through forested hills and passes villages, taking about half an hour from the town. Dress modestly, since covered shoulders and knees are expected, and keep quiet inside the church. Photography may be restricted. The site is open during the day, with a break in the afternoon at some times, so check hours. A visit takes about an hour, and many people pair it with the nearby village of Anavatos, an abandoned settlement on a cliff, and the mastic villages in the south.