The monasteries of Skopelos
St. Barbara

The beautiful monastery of Saint Barbara in spring 1999

St. Barbara, with the appearance of a fortress, is situated close to the nunnery of Prodromos. Unlike Prodromos, which is inhabited by nuns, St. Barbara is deserted.

The church and the very high walls of the enclosure maintain the original form, though the cells are of later fabrication.

The date of the monastery's founding is not known, though a marble slab that was found mentions the year 1697, but, this inscription most probably refers to the repair work of the nave and not the building of the church.

St. Barbara as it appears from the monastery of Prodromos

The ground plan of the nave being a T-shape - the heavy proportions that can be observed and the partition of the three sides of the church lead to the conclusion that the church is much older. This, according to qualified archeologists (of the 7th supervision department for Byzantine antiquities), among them Mrs. Aspasia Dina.

The design of the monastery is exceptional in relation to the other Skopelitan churches. It belongs to the cross-shaped type but with heavy proportions to the dome. The gold-covered altar screen made of woodcarvings that adorns the monastery is much older than the aforementioned date discovered on the marble slab. The holy cross is placed at its top, and underneath in parallel lines the Great Prayer, vine branches, 21 illustrations of the main feasts, vine branches with the 12 prophets and Virgin Mary in the center and at the end the altar screens and icons.

[ ST.RIGINOS] - [ PRODROMOS ] - [ SOTIROS ] - [ ST. BARBARA ] - [ RETURN ]

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