The Monastery Today

Today the monastery follows one of the strictest monastic rules in any convent in Greece and adheres to the Old Calendar. The nuns maintain a permanent fast at this monastery in imitation of St. Irene, their Abbess. It comprises a building which occupies approximately 50 acres.

It offers accomodations for both men and women in seperate wings for those who wish to stay at the monastery to participate in its worship services. These several guest rooms are available throughout the year except on the feast day of St. Irene on July 28th (according to the Old Calendar). Because of the nuns strict fast, they only offer pilgrims fruit and nuns, so if one wishes to eat at the monastery one must bring their own food and not expect to feast in the dining room as in most other monasteries.

Suitable clothing must be worn to enter the monastery. Shorts, short skirts, and sleeveless shirts, are strictly prohibited from both men and women. Men are to be dressed as men and women as women. This means that women are prohibited from wearing any kind of pants and must wear a long dress to cover their legs. In fact when I visited this monastery at the age of 16 I was wearing shorts and the nuns would not allow me to enter no matter how much my mother and family tried to persuade them. They allowed me to enter only when I wrapped my grandmothers shawl around my legs. Sometimes they provide skirts for forgetful women, so don't hesitate to try to visit if you forget to bring your skirt for this pilgrimage.

If a woman wishes to venerate any icons, lipstick must be completely removed.

The monastery is open to the faithful during the following times: