Evangelistria Monastery, Skiathos

The Monastery of the Annunciation, commonly known as the Evangelistria Monastery, is a monastery dedicated to the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary which sits on a hillside some 4 km north of Skiathos town on the Greek island of Skiathos. Although some buildings are ruined, the church and accommodation buildings have been restored. The monastery was founded in 1794 by a group of Kollyvades monks, who had left the monastery of Mount Athos after disagreements about matters of Christian ritual. They were led by an ordained monk, Niphon of Chios, and included Gregorios Hatzistamatis, a local monk who had inherited land on Skiathos from his father. In 1807, a group of Greek freedom fighters met at the monastery and swore the Oath of Freedom on a newly designed Greek flag, a white cross on a sky-blue background, which was woven on a loom at the site. The fighters included Theodoros Kolokotronis, Andreas Vokos Miaoulis, Thymios Vlachavas, Nikotsaras and others. The Catholicon of the monastery is a Byzantine-style cross-in-square three-aisled church, with three domes, and stands at the centre of the complex. The iconostasis is wood carved and bears icons dating from the 17th and 18th centuries.