As the announcement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informs, with the completion of the project in 2025, the western part of the Monastery enclosure will become accessible and visitable. The project, with a budget of 700,000 euros, is financed by resources of the Recovery and Resilience Fund.
The Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, said: “With the planned fixing, maintenance and restoration operations of the fortified enclosure and the defensive tower of the monastic building complex, the monumental complex of Nea Moni is fully restored and highlighted. With the interventions that are in progress, the prominent Byzantine monument and historical landmark of Chios, of international scope, becomes accessible and visitable in its entirety. The specific interventions are part of a set of projects that serve the overall strategic planning of the Ministry of Culture for the highlighting and promotion of the extremely important cultural stock of the islands of the northern Aegean, in the great historical time span. The projects, as a whole, are included in the “Cultural Development and Prosperity Map” with the aim of strengthening the social and development dynamics of our islands. Especially for Chios, with resources from the Recovery Fund, conservation and restoration projects are being carried out at important monuments, such as the Taxiarchis in Mesta, Agios Georgios in Sidirounda, Agios Thalelaios in Agios Galas, while the expansion and upgrade of the Archaeological Museum is in the process of being tendered. of the island, with a budget of approximately 17,000,000 euros. Our goal is for the projects to be completed in 2025, to be delivered to the residents of the island, contributing to the improvement of the quality of life, strengthening the competitiveness of the tourist product, investing in the sustainable development of the island ecosystem”.
Nea Moni was founded in the middle of the 11th century with imperial sponsorship. The monastic complex is walled with a high enclosure and protected by a defensive tower following the typical arrangement of the buildings in the monasteries of Byzantine times. In the middle, the Catholic Church dominates, while a short distance from it is the Bank, the common dining area of the monks in the synovial system. In 1049 the inauguration of the Temple took place and the works were completed during the reign of Theodora (1055-1056).
During the Genoese period (1346), the prestige of the New Monastery increased and its prosperity and prosperity continued during the Turkish period, following 1566. Initially, the Monastery followed the synovial system until the first desolation (late 11th century), so it was abandoned. When new monks were installed, a peculiar system with some synovial elements was adopted, which was maintained until 1950. During its nearly 1,000 years of existence, the Monastery was tested many times. The first blow was the destruction and looting of 1822. The next blow was the earthquake of 1881, decisive for both the buildings and the finances of the Monastery.
From the original complex of the 11th century, today the Catholicos, the cistern (tank), the tower, part of the Bank and the Church of Agios Luke are preserved in the cemetery of the Monastery, outside the wall. The rest of the space is occupied by other communal buildings and mainly by cell wings, dating from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.
Until the second world war, the Monastery was male. In 1946, following the death of the last monk, the Monastery was deserted until 1950, when the Diocese of Chios, in its attempt to keep the monastery alive, turned it into a nunnery, so nuns settled in it. In 2000, Nea Moni was declared an archaeological site of a large area as it includes the walled monastic complex, the buildings outside the enclosure, the cemetery church of the monks outside the wall, two naides that belong to the Monastery and are located a short distance from it, the Temple of Agios Antonios and the Church of Agios Fanourios, cultivated areas, as well as large forest areas. In 1990, the Catholic Church of the Monastery was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, in joint registration with the Catholic Church of the Daphni Monastery in Attica and the Saint Loukas Monastery in Boeotia. Since 2014, it has been operating as an Androa Monastery.
The Triodium “opens” this Sunday – When do Holy Thursday and Clean Monday fall
Thriller in Corinth: “The children of the Early Christians remain unaccounted for” – The scenario that “trembles” the Authorities [βίντεο]
The great university student Nikos Skouteropoulos has died – Mendoni’s condolence message
#Nea #Moni #Chios #UNESCO #monument #restored
