A BEAUTIFUL CHURCH AND A WONDERFUL MUSEUM IN XANTHI

The Holy Monastery of Panagia Archangeliotissa and the Ecclesiastical Museum of the Metropolis of Xanthi, housed in the east wing of the monastery, have a great historical and cultural interest. 

At the Archangeliotissa, dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, the pilgrimage takes place all year round, even on August 15, by thousands of faithful who wish to worship the miraculous icon of the Virgin located at the nave of the church. 

According to ecclesiastical sources (books and monks’ testimonies) the monastery already existed since the end of 1559. However, it seems to have been destroyed by the two terrible earthquakes that hit the city of Xanthi on March and April 1829 and was rebuilt in today’s form in 1841, by Eugene, Bishop of Xanthi (1831-1848), with the financial aid of tobacco merchants of the region and locals. It is also mentioned that the bell tower of the monastery, the only one in the whole region, was rebuilt in 1844. 

The Ecclesiastical Museum exhibits icons, embroidered epitaphs, church vessels, costumes and everyday objects of clerics as well as printed liturgical books, which date from the late Byzantine times until the early 20th century. For more information about the monastery and the museum you can visit the website of the Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Region at https://www.emtgreece.com/el/museums/