Excursion to Central Chios

We travel to the center of the island and meet the monastery New Monastery, which is considered the most important Byzantine monument of the island and is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Nea Moni was founded in the 11th century and occupies a special place thanks to its art and its direct relationship with Constantinople and the Imperial Court. According to the monastic tradition, the emperor Constantine the Great financed the construction of the Monastery after the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary was found by the three Chios monks, Nikitas, John and Joseph, at the present location of the monastery. For many centuries, it was the religious and economic center of Chios, since it was respected by both the Genoese and the Turks. The decline begins in the 19th century with financial difficulties at first and the disaster of 1822 later.

The mosaics of the New…