The Monastery of Panagias Evangelistrias is a splendid religious building of the 18th century founded by monks from Mount Athos and built on ancient relics found in that place. The Monastery is surrounded by a rich vegetation composed mainly by pines and cypresses and is perched at 450 meters high.
Here took place an event that marked the history of Greece: the first Greek flag was raised, as a sign of defiance against the Ottomans who at that time occupied the island of Skiathos. This took place in 1807, when the fighters took their oath of "freedom or death" and used the Monastery as a hiding place during the Greek War of Independence.
In addition to its architectural beauty, the monastery also offers products from the surrounding land. First of all the famous wine of Alypiakos, a wine that, according to Papadiamantis, served to alleviate the pains and sadness of the world. In fact "Alypiakos" means "without sorrows".
The Evangelistria Monastery also offers a folklore museum and an ecclesiastical museum. In the first one you can see and learn about agricultural equipment, traditional clothes, domestic utensils and many other objects that bear witness to the daily life of a civilization that has passed away. In the latter, documents, gold crosses and books of inestimable value are on display, including some documents with the seal of the Patriarchate.
An important day for the Monastery is 15th August (the day of the feast of the Assumption), when the epitaph of the Virgin Mary takes place, a very important event for the local people.
