SIMONOPETRA MONASTERY

This monastery (Ιερά Μονή Σίμωνος Πέτρας/Iera Moni Simonos Petras) is stunning with its immense walls soaring 330 meters above the Singitic Gulf. It owes its name of "Simon's Stone" to its founder, the Orthodox monk and saint Simon the Myroblyte, who settled here during the second half of the ^13th century. Victim of three major fires in the course of its history, the complex preserves frescoes from the ^17th and ^18th centuries. The fifty or so monks who live here are renowned for their chanting, so it's well worth attending a liturgy!