The Reverend Neofitos Koumanos and his son, Reverend Minas, built
the Monastery between 1572 and 1595 under the Patriarch Jeremiah II. The Monastery
was built on the top of a hill, just outside the village of Nehori.
It was intended to be an abbey for monks, however, in 1932, it was converted into
a Monastery and is currently home to 25 nuns that occupy their time with religious
painting, crafts and sewing ecclesiastical garments. The Monastery has become
famous and is well known worldwide. It is directly linked with Chios’ recent history
and more specifically with the Massacre of Chios in 1822 when the Turks slaughtered
and burned 3,000 Chians who had flocked to the Monastery from surrounding villages
to be saved. Today, the atrocities of the Massacre are still evident in the blood
stained marble floor of the church. The Mausoleum, located in the courtyard of
the Monastery, displays the bones of many victims of the Massacre.
