Monastery of Dimiovia
The monasteryof Dimiovia is 15km away from Kalamata, above Eleochori (Giannitsa) at the foot of Taygetos and is built in the trees.
The name of the monastery of Dimiovia is of Slavic origin and means “krokotopi”, a place, where the plant crocus blooms and until today it grows in the spring in the woods surrounding the monastery.
The Monastery of Dimiovia celebrates every August 15th while on September 3rd there is a special litany of the icon of Virgin Mary Dimiovitissa and it starts at 12 at noon from the monastery and ends after walking 13 km at the church of the Birth of Virgin Mary in Giannitsanika. The icon stays for ten days there and then is returned to the monastery.
The icon of Virgin Mary that is called “hope of Christians”, has a wound with dried blood on the head of Virgin Mary that came from hitting with a sharp instrument. According to the legend the hit has been made by the brother of the Byzantine emperor Leon the Isaurian during the period of Iconoclasm.
The monastery of Dimiova was built during the first decades of the 17th century and was destroyed in 1770 by Turkish retaliation for ‘ Orlov Revolt “, the failed attempt of revolution made by Russian officers and Theodore Alexius Orlov.
In the revolution of 1821 the monastery of Dimiovia as well as the Monastery of Mardaki, became a refuge for armatoloi and kleftes living in the area.
Since 1960 the monastery of Dimiovia is a nunnery.
If you find yourself in the Monastery, you should visit the Tower of Rigas that is located below the monastery and became a refuge for the monks when the area was besieged.
