Visiting St Denis Monastery on Zakynthos

At the rocky northern end of the Greek Island of Zakynthos, are some monasteries you can visit. They are close to the village of Volimes, known for its lace making and honey. From the south of the island, where we normally stay, we drove up the spine of the island. Looking down to our right, we could see the salt flats of Alykes, before turning into the rocky interior where the landscape is covered with gorse and wild thyme.

St Denis Monastery in Zakynthos

We followed the signs to the well known St Denis monastery or Monastery of Theotokos Anafonitria. I knew we must have arrived when we found 2 coaches parked beside the snack bars and souvenir shops in the middle of nowhere.

We managed to time our visit just right, just before groups of Greek ladies all dressed in black, who were obviously making a devotional visit. The next coach unloaded scantily dressed tourists, all short shorts and sleeveless tops.

How to dress for a monastery in Greece

Just so you don’t make the same mistake, it is considered extremely disrespectful to enter a church in Greece dressed as if for the beach. Ladies, cover your shoulders and gentlemen, put on your long trousers!

Inside St Denis Monastery

We entered the walled compound through a stone archway, into a pretty courtyard. There was a defensive bell tower and the small church opposite the arched entrance.

The monastery was built in the 15th century and is quite sparse inside, apart from some lovely painted frescoes on the altar screen and a painting of St Denis.

There is also an impressive icon of the Madonna and child. This apparently was brought here from Constantinople and after which the church is named. The icon was decked with row upon row of gold rings and earrings that must have been donated by faithful pilgrims.

St Denis or Agios Dionysios, was born on the island in 1546 to a wealthy family with connections to the Venetian government of the time. He became Archbishop of Zakynthos and after his death, was made the patron saint of the island.

It’s typical for the Greeks to name their children with saints names, especially those with a local connection. Half the boys on Zakynthos must be named Denis!

Monastery of St Georgios Krimmon

After our wander around, we drove a little further along the road to stop at a second monastery of St Georgios Krimnon. This is built in a similar style with a courtyard, defensive tower and church inside the enclosure. Although this time there were cloisters along one side of the courtyard.

The church was closed at the time, so we couldn’t look inside. We were intrigued by the large bells hanging from the olive trees outside.

Of course we bought some nougat from the old man and his wife manning the roadside stall. He was calling everyone to come and buy his fruit, honey and oil with all the persistence of a trader in the bazaar.

What else to see nearby

Our monastery visits made an interesting stop on a tour of the north of the island. We made a stop in the town of Volimes that’s famous for its lace making, rugs and honey. Nearby you can visit the cliffs overlooking the picturesque bay of Navagio or Smuggler’s Bay for the photo featured on all the guidebooks and postcards.

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This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com

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