Panagia Eleousa Monastery

The monastery of Panagia Eleousa is situated in a dark green gorge outside the village of Lygia and a few kilometers southwest of the town of Vartholomio.
Isolated and well-hidden from raiders, invisible from the sea and built during the middle Byzantine period - 9th century AD - the monastery is named after an icon of the Virgin Mary, which according to tradition was found in a nearby cave, and was given the appellative Eleousa, so as to have mercy on the faithful and grant protection to the place.
The monastery has experienced attacks and looting from time to time. In one of them, in 1863, it was set on fire by pirates. The locals restored it by building additional fortifications and an impressive tower, which survives to this day. In 1976 the tower was declared a preserved medieval monument and was later renovated.
During the Turkish occupation, the monastery was a refuge for the persecuted, while in the revolution of 1821 it played a pivotal role, serving as a base for fighters. The monastery celebrates on August 31. Nearby highlights include a cave with stalactites whose water is considered holy, as well as an age-old olive tree within a monastery property.