chioschios online booking

CHIOS - NEA MONI MONASTERY

Nea Moni Nea Moni is the most important Byzantine monument of Chios. It was built by the Byzantine Emperor Konstantinos Monomachos (1042-1054). The glamour of the imperial building remained till the 19th century. This continuation was violently cut in 1822 during the catastrophe of Chios.

The Turks conquered the Monastery, slaughtered the monks and all the Chians who had sheltered there. Afterwards they set fire to the Church and started digging up in order to find treasures, while at the same time they threw away the whole library and the vestry of the Monastery. The final destruction was the catastrophic earthquake of 1881.

Nea Moni - Interior The top view of the main temple is square while only higher it is transformed into octagonal with a dome. The temple is decorated with mosaics of excellent quality and special marbles under the belt of mosaics.

There were also beautiful marbles around the entrance doors, and luxurious colorful marbles decorated in analogies and with its rich decoration. Inside the monastery walls there is an Ecclesiastical museum as well as a Byzantine tank.