0075 - Zygou Monastery near Ouranoupolis
0075 - Zygou Monastery near Ouranoupolis When you hear the words “Mount Athos”, your mind will be immediately drawn to Monasteries. What isn't widely known is that the border of Mount Athos, extended much further beyond Ouranoupolis in the past. Remnants of Monasteries and their dependancies can be found all around the Chalkidiki region. One of those forgotten Monasteries from the Golden Age of the Peninsula (around the 10th Century) is the Monastery of Zygou. This religious and architectural heritage site stands 2 kms to the east of Ouranoupolis, walking distance to the border of Mount Athos. Zygou Monastery is considered to be one of the oldest uninhabited ruins of an Athonite Monastery. It was discovered by the group of archaeologists, coordinated by Ioakeim Papaggelos in 1984. A brief history of the Zygou Monastery. The first reference regarding the Monastery dates back to the middle of the 10th century. In the year 958 St...