Greece - Veria, Monastery of Timios Prodromos

The monastery of Timios Prodromos (Saint John the Baptist) is the most important of the monastic settlements ('sketai') in the area around Veria. The historic stone monastery has been operating since the 14th century. Known as the “Skete of Veria”, as the monastery was built in a Holy Skete that existed on the site since the 9th-10th century.

The monastery was set on fire in 1822 by the Ottomans. The only structure that survived was the chapel of the Transfiguration of the Savior. In 1835 the monks rebuilt the cells, the new katholikon and a good part of the fortified wall; at this point the monastery assumed then the form it has today.

Remains of several Saints are kept in the Monastery, while visitors can admire many works of hagiographic art, some of which have been saved from the period before the destruction of 1822. Its katholikon is also remarkable, in the type of the three-aisled basilica, with magnificent columns made of trunk trees and imposing images.

Timios Prodromos is located at the verdant foothills of Pieria mountains, with an imposing view of the artificial lake of the Aliakmonas river; a fascinating landscape created by the river with the dense forests. The impressive entrance with the large, wooden medieval gates, the stone fountain, the relief of the buildings as they join the slope and the fresh air give visitors a warm welcome.