The ancient Monastery of Panagia Hozoviotissa, or Chozoviótissa dates back to the 11th century and is located on the east coast of Amorgos, 2 km from Chora, nestled among the rocks of Mount St. Elias at a height of 300 meters. From the monastery you can admire a spectacular panoramic view of the Aegean.
This impressive sanctuary with its whitewashed walls represents the main example of Greek Orthodox monastic architecture and is visible only from the sea or from the access stairway.
There are no official documents on its foundation, but the most probable hypothesis is that in 1088 the Byzantine emperor Alexius I Comnenus ordered its construction to honour a sacred icon dating back to 812, currently on display inside the monastery.
Signs of the Venetian rule (1296-1537) can be seen, such as the pointed arches of the entrance door and some internal parts of the monastery. Even during the Turkish occupation (1537-1824) the monastery continued to prosper and thanks to its fame it has come down to our days in a perfect state of preservation.
Such an ancient place cannot but be linked to a legend and in this case there are several legends. The main one is that around the first half of the 9th century, a boat arrived on the coast of Amorgos with some monks who had fled from Khozova, Palestine, to save an icon of the Virgin Mary. They stopped right on the beach of Agia Anna, which is below the monastery and built a small church to guard the sacred image.
Another legend has it that the icon came from Cyprus, after being broken in two and thrown into the sea. The icon was carried by the currents to Amorgos and repaired by the monks.
It is also said that a fallen rock revealed a secret cell that was supposed to hide a treasure.
Whatever the truth may be, the icon kept in the Monastery is considered miraculous and every year in August many believers come to the island.
The monastery is in perfect harmony with the surrounding environment, in fact it is no coincidence that the chapel was built inside a crack in the rock.
The monastic complex is small, but is developed in height: 8 floors with various differences in height and a hundred rooms, joined by narrow staircases carved into the rock, tunnels and arches. All built essentially in stone, lime and juniper wood.
The heart of the whole complex of Panagia Hozoviotissa is the small church. At the back, on the right, near the door that gives onto the small terrace, there is the precious icon of the Madonna, displayed inside a glass case with a beautiful wooden frame.
At Easter time, during the Holy Week, the icon is carried in procession from village to village.
