He was a monk from Trikala, in Corinth, and founded the monastery during the 16th century by reorganising an older one which used to be dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
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Agios Gerassimos died in 1579 and was canonized in 1622; he was famous for his miraculous skills and help to those who suffered from mental illnesses.
The monastery is really impressive, with a little chapel and a new richly decorated main church.
Under the monastery there is a cave built by the saint, who used it as a residence and a place to pray.
Pilgrims for all over Greece come to pray and honour the saint in this cave.
The inhabitants of the island celebrate the feast day of the monastery and the saint on the 16th of August and commemorate the death of Agios Gerassimos on the 20th of October.
On those days, a procession takes place, during which the saint’s sarcophagus is placed under the shadow of a plane tree that was planted by the saint himself; the procession is followed by a huge feast with music, dances, food and wine.
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| The convent of Agios Andreas |
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Partly destroyed by the strong earthquake of 1953, the Byzantine convent of Agios Andreas has since been restored and turned into a fine museum housing a unique collection of wonderful Byzantine icons and ecclesiastical items. The plaster that fell off the walls of the church during the earthquake revealed some fantastic frescoes dating back from the 16th century.
In the convent, the holy relics of Agios Andreas are resting in a golden casket.
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| The Monastery of Panagia Atrou |
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The Monastery of Panagia Atrou (or Monastery of Atros) is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and stands at an altitude of 500 metres, on the top of a green hill, a few kilometres from the village of Poros.
First built during the 8th century, it is the oldest monastery of Kefalonia and is said to have been destroyed and rebuilt 17 times.
The monastery celebrates its feast day on the 8th of September.
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| The Monastery of Agrilion |
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The Monastery of Agrilion stands on the top of the hill of Sami and is dedicated to the Hyperayia Theotokos.
It was built during the 18th century on the site where the miraculous icon of Agios Theotokos was found, in 1722, by two shepherds who decided after the discovering to dedicate themselves to the monastic life. |
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| The Church of the Virgin Mary Lagouvarda |
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Situated in the village of Markopoulos, the church of the Virgin Mary Lagouvarda was built on the site where a monastery that had been destroyed by the Turks used to stand. A urban legend says that in 1705 the monastery was attacked by pirates and the frightened nuns prayed the Virgin to turn them into snakes in order to escape from the cruelty of the pirates. Their prayers were answered and, at the sight of the snakes, the pirates run away; since then, the nuns-snakes return each year to the monastery, bringing good luck and prosperity to the village. This legend explains the phenomenon that happens every August the 15th, on the Virgin Mary’s feast day: a large number of harmless snakes come around the monastery just for this day and then disappear.
Other Kefalonia churches:
::The Monastery and cave of Agia Paraskevi
Located outside the village of Lixouri, on the red sandy beach of Lepeda, the cave was turned into a church and became a hermitage for monks in 1668. Today only some ruins remains of it.
::The church of Estavromenos
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Built in 1618 on the ruins of an older monastery in the village of Pessada, the Church of Estavromenos (Crucified Christ) is dedicated to the Holy Cross. After the last nun’s death, the monastery has been abandoned.
:: The Monastery of Lamia
Located nearby the village of Dilinata, the monastery was built in 1690 and houses a miraculous icon of the birth of the Virgin Mary but is no more inhabited today. |
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