Monastery of the Egg – Moni Avgou Agios Dimitrios

This beautiful monastery is built into the rocky slope of a mountain. Heading towards Trachia through the village of Pelei the pavement ends. The dirt road leads to the monastery of ‘Moni tou Agiou Dimitriou Mirovliti’, known as Moni Avgou, one of the many Byzantine treasures of the area. It took an active part in the war of 1821 and was burned by Ibrahim in 1825. Long abandoned, the hermitage and chapel were recently renovated single-handedly by Monk Georgios Sotirios.
In a small cave in the eastern part of the rock, preserved Christian murals, according to Georgios, date back to the 11th century. It has spectacular views down the ravine leading to Iria, in good visibility to the sea. There is much speculation about the origin of the common name ‘Moni Avgou’, translated as ‘Abbey of the egg’. The most popular, yet romantic explanation lies in the tradition which tells the tale of the deeply felt faith for the unbreakable egg.

This place and the view are truly spectacular. The way there is on a simple gravel path. You have to cross the river over a bridge. When we hiked in mid-October, the riverbed was completely dry, so that wasn't a problem. May be different in spring.
The monastery was freely accessible, but there was no one there.