St Anthimos & Ayios Yeorgios tou Vouniou

[Administrator]

Not many know that the Monastery of St George of the Mountain (Ayios Yeorgios tou Vouniou) on Castellorizo was erected by a saint of the Greek Orthodox Church, Anthimos.

Anthimos Kourouklis (1727-1782) was born on the island of Cephallonia. He was blind from the age of seven, and entered monastic life from the age of 25. He travelled to Mt Athos and spent a number of years there before journeying to the Holy Land. On his return in 1758, he visited Castellorizo and laid the foundations for a fortified monastery dedicated to St George on the small, fertile plateau above the island's town. He remained on the island until its construction was complete and the monastery formally consecrated in 1759. It is of special interest that the builder Anthimos used for the monastery's construction was a Rhodian, Hatzikonstandis, who married and settled on Castellorizo. His descendants are the members of the Protomastoros family.

On Anthimos' further travels, he was also to build a nunnery dedicated to the Theotokos on the Dodecanese island of Astypalaia. He is currently the most recent saint of the Orthodox church, having been canonised on 30 July 1974.

The monastery was extended and restored by a local builder, Mastroyeorgis, in 1779. At this time, it featured 15 monks' cells, a residence for the abbot, a dining room and a library. At its centre stood the church (katholikon) dedicated to St George, built in a style characteristic of the region, surrounded by a pebbled courtyard (votsala). Regrettably, the church and the external walling of the monastery are the only remnants of the entire elaborate structure, though plans are underway to restore the monastery to its former grandeur.

Underneath the church, and accessible only via a small trap door, is the so-called 'catacomb' of Ayios Haralambos. Its origins are uncertain. This small shrine was used as a refuge during the early years of the Greek Revolution and, again, during the bombardments from the Turkish coast in the First World War.

Nicholas

[kostas katsikas]

i have visited the cave beneath the monastery.it is really very nice.it is a pity that the monastery is left and not restored

[Administrator]

Further to the above comments, here is an image from 1968 that shows the cells of the Monastery prior to their collapse.

Nicholas

Attachments:

[Nicholas]

And here are two images of the Monastery as it was taking shape in November 2013 during its restoration.  Our thanks must go out to Fotini Halvantzi and her team for their meticulous work:

[Administrator]

We are delighted to report that the bulk of the work on the restoration of the Monastery has now been completed.

Here is an image of the exterior of the complex courtesy (again) of Fotini Halvantzi who has led the project from start to finish in sometimes challenging circumstances.



It is planned to return the Monastery to its original use in the course of 2016 with the arrival of the island's first resident monk in over five decades. The completed Monastery will be open to the public for respectful visits and will include a small display area featuring a presentation on its fascinating history.