Lesvos Monastery of Limonas

Location: Kaloni

The Monastery of Limonos in Lesvos, Eastern Aegean: The Monastery of Limonos is the largest and most important monastery of Lesvos. It is located 4 km north west of Kalloni village and it is open to visitors. Dedicated to Archangel Michael, this monastery was established in the Byzantine times and it worked till the Ottomans conquered the island in 1462. It stopped working for about one century till 1526 when Saint Ignatius Agallianos re-established the monastery and built the main church (katholicon). Saint Ignatius also founded an acknowledged school, Limoniada School, that worked till 1923 and became the intellectual center of the island.

The monastery today hosts an important library with 5,000 books that date from the 15th century until the present, rare manuscripts, ecclesiastical items, sultanate firmans, holy icons, jewelry, and many other exhibits. The Monastery celebrates on October 8th and a festival takes place there. Apart from the glorious Masses, many stands are also put outside the monastery selling religious or commercial items. Pilgrims are plenty, as this is an important religious festival for the island.