St Lucas Monastery

The Byzantine Monastery of St. Lucas

It was founded in the 10th century by the saint who practiced there and was dear to the world, in whose eyes he saw a philanthropist and healer with prophetic abilities. When he died, a church complex was erected in his honor with all the grandeur and wealth of Byzantine architecture, which exemplified the later ones. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the Parthenon is the symbol of Ancient Greece, and is Saint Lucas the symbol of Byzantine Greece.

The exquisite Byzantine Masterpieces nestled at the base of Mountain Parnassos

Engineered purely, it is an architectural masterpiece, with a perfect acoustic and stunning exploitation of natural lighting. And the awe that one feels when visiting the site becomes even greater when we consider that it was built a millennium ago with much less technical and computational means than it is today. It is a building that is at the same time imperial magnificent with unique and striking gold mosaics, but in a magical way can also convey the spirit of devotion and humility.

During the ten centuries since its inception, it played a leading role in the historic adventures of the place, winning the favor of emperors and officials during the Byzantine period. During the Frankish occupation, it came under the occupation of the Order of Catholic monks and saw the destructive fury of the conquerors, both Catalans, and Turks. In the war of 1821 against the Turkish army, the monastery was the base of Greek warriors.