The monastery of Agios Dimitrios on the island of Skyros in Greece
The Agios Dimitrios monastery is located just southwest of the capital Skyros Chora and can be reached via an exit that leads from the town. This road is indicated with a sign. The distance to Skyros Chora is about 6 kilometers. On the route to the monastery you will encounter a beautiful view of Skyros Chora and the sea. A moment to stop and look or take a photo. You end up at a (new) artificial water reservoir that is surrounded by an unpaved road. Nearby is also the small Byzantine Agios Ioannis church with inside well-preserved frescoes of Jesus and the Virgin Mary with child. We were here in 2018 and visited this church with a guide. The door was open.
A bit further down the road is the old walled Agios Dimitrios monastery. The monastery is at the end of a road on a terrain that is surrounded by a fence and it looks like it is closed, but it is not inhabited and you can just open the gate to walk or drive up. The Agios Dimitrios monastery stands on the site of a sanctuary from ancient times. According to the inscriptions in the wall the church was completed in the year 1611, but most of it is probably older and dates from the 16th century. The monastery church of Agios Dimitrios contains beautifully preserved frescoes from the 17th century.
The monastery has been damaged by earthquakes but there has also been a lot of restoration and the monastery church is intact. In the gates leading to the monastery marble sculptures from the former sanctuary were incorporated. When we arrived the church itself was closed, but you could still partially open the doors so you could still view the frescoes inside. Above the monastery you can take a look at an old water reservoir that has now been transformed into a large aquarium for goldfish, and above that is the even older original water reservoir of the monastery iwith in the middle a column with an inscription. The whole area is surrounded by large old trees and there are also many herbs and plants. Below is a map which makes it clearer to find this small but beautiful monastery.
