Leimonas Monastery is situated in the central Lesvos, near a village called Dafia. At its heyday, as many as 150 monks lived here, but now it is barely inhabited.
The monastery was founded by Ignatios, later bishop of Mithymna Johannes Agallianos, in 1526, but there seems to be a preceding Byzantine building of which we don't know anything. Ignatios dedicated the monastery to Taxiarches (Archangel Michael), but after the saintification of Ignatios, it was dedicated to Saint Ignatios. In later days, it came to be know as Leimonos. The name should derive from 'leimonas' meaning pasture. It might be because the monastery was surrounded by pasture, or because the monastery was a spiritual pasture.
It seems to house many old icons and relics, but when we visited it was closed and we could see the buildings only from outside. The local old woman we met there told us it was because the couple who took care of the monastery had a health problem and had to go to hospital closing the monastery. It was a pity.
Just outside the monastery, there are many (SO many!) oratories which look relatively new. The woman who runs a cafeteria in front of the monastery told us they are all 'tama's, i.e. ex-voto.
I have never seen anything like this before and it was especially surprising to see these around a half abandonned monastery.
A kiosk in the precinct of the monastery.
According to a plate hunging from one of the columns, these columns belonged to the original church built by Ignatios in 1526. Judging from these, it should have been quite small.
By the way, although none of my guidebooks say so, women are not allowed to the main church of the monastery and the area surrounding it. Women can see the other buidlings and the museum, but not the wall painting of the main church. However, I had an impresson from what she said that the woman of the cafeteria had seen inside. Maybe there are days when women are allowed to come in.
See these fountains. The one on the left is a fountain for agiasmos (holy water) on the wall of the main church and the right one also is inside the monastery ground. Obviously both of them show the influence of Muslim architecture. The right one seemed to have an inscription removed. I wonder if it was written in Arabic script.
This is an inscription with Arabic script which is housed also in the monastery courtyard. It is upside down but I think it is a tomb stone. There was another Arabic-script inscription.
My guidebooks says this monastery was an intellectual centre during the Ottoman period and functioned as a secret school (during the period when formal Greek education was prohibited, monasteries often served as Greek schools).
These Arabic inscriptions, however, remain mystery to me.
Inside the monastery ground there were many peacocks wondering around freely. There was also a pair of strange deer like creatures. I guess these exotic creatures help to create an image of Heaven.
Reference
- Lesvos : the island of Sappho. Tourbis: Koropi (Athens), 1997, pp. 112-113.
- Apostolos F. Spanos, Leimonos Monastery : The Holy Patriarchal and Stavropegic. (Pilgrimage Companion Series, No. 2). Akritas : Nea Smyrni, Athens, 2003.
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