Epidaurus Monastery Of Taxiarches

Location: Nea Epidaurus

The Monastery of Saint Taxiarches in Epidaurus: The Monastery of Taxiarches is found 5 km to the west of Nea Epidaurus village. This monastery was originally built in the early 15th century. It was possibly established by monk Nyphon, who later became the first bishop of Thessaloniki and Patriarch of Constantinople, while he also contributed a lot in the formation of the Romanian Orthodox church. After his death, he had been declared a saint and his memory is celebrated on August 11th. Inside the monastery, the relics of Saint Gabriel, the assistant of Saint Nyphon, are kept in the main church.

The monastery contributed a lot in the Greek War of Independence and organized courses of Greek language for the enslaved Greek children. The main church of the monastery was originally only 21 sq. m., until it was demolished in 1945. Then a small Byzantine church was built on its place. Since 1945, the monastery is inhabited only by nuns, not monks, and is open to visitors.