Monastery of St. Andreas the Apostle of Milapidia
In Peratata of Kefalonia, there is one of the oldest monasteries. Here the believers can venerate the relics of the Apostle Andrew tread that was donated by the Princess Roxanne from Romania when she came to the monastery to become a nun. The foundation of the monastery took place sometime in the Byzantine period. In 1264 it was referred as monastery in the Records of the Latin Diocese in Kefalonia. Later it was depopulated and re-founded in 1579 when three spiritual sisters decides to become nuns here. In 1639 princess Roxane Tzigara arrives here and she was renamed Romelia and donates to the Abbey all her great fortune. Among these was the invaluable part of the relics of the Apostle Andreas “the sole that should lie upon the flesh of the saint with the dried blood, as it is also evident from the wound from the pin of the crucifixion of Lord. And its aroma is distinctive and extremely intense “as the website of the Holy Metropolis of Kefalonia states.The monastery is only for women. The nuns are occupied with the textile industry, iconography, craftsmanship and hospitality, as well as farms and gardens . The monastery also cares about the maintenance of portable icons. The Monastery got its name from the characteristic tree ” Milapidea ” an apple and pear tree in combination that grows here . The old Catholic monastery survived from the earthquake of 1953 and now houses the museum of Kefalonia: among the exhibits there are medieval frescoes of the monastery of the Archangels of Milapidia, the shroud of national martyr Patriarch Gregory V and the shirt of Saint Panagis Basias, local Saint of Kefalonia. The temple was created in early 17th century . The frescoes of the church until the earthquake of 1953 were covered with lime: in 1832 the operation of the Convent was temporally stopped by the English conquerors who wanted to turn the monastery into a Protestant school . The Museum also has two handwritten letters of Saint Kosmas the Aetolian from the year 1777 and the Archdiocesan bag of Kefalonia embroidered by hand from 1715 to 1721 by the nun Theodora Kanali from Metaxata. On 30 November a great feast takes place in the monastery, honoring the memory of Saint Andreas. There is also a big festival on Friday after Easter ( Easter ) on the feast day of the Life-Giving Spring, which is the “second patron of the monastery “. In the monastery there are also the chapels of Archangels , Saint Nicolas Skardampelis , Saints Catherine, Paraskevi and Virgin Mary Merciful where festive liturgies take place. The monastery receives daily visits from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and 17:00 – 20:00
Communication
Phone: 2671069398