Monastery of Evangelistria

High on a hillside four kilometres north of Skiathos town, the Monastery of Evangelistria is dedicated to the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. Kollyvades monks who had left Mount Athos after disagreements over Christian ritual founded it in 1794, led by Niphon of Chios and joined by the local monk Gregorios Hatzistamatis, who inherited the land. In 1807 the monastery played a role in Greek freedom, a moment that gives this quiet Byzantine-era foundation its enduring place in the island's story.