Holy Monastery of Saint Theoctist of Lesvia

Traveling north Ikaria to Raches, making a small detour we meet in the village Source a pine-covered environment and following an arrow we reach the Saint Theoctist.

The area is fenced and after the entrance we proceed to a path where there are huge stones and tall pines. They are the courtyard of a monastery that was founded before the year 1688 and in its heyday, in 1500 AD, it had - apart from the katholikon - about 15 cells and auxiliary spaces for 100 monks, while in 1982 the last two nuns left.

The holy temple of Osia Theoktistis on the left of the path is vaulted and entirely frescoed with figures of Saints and representations of the Old and Common Testament, while the ornate iconostasis seems to be newer.

Today, the traveler can visit the monastery, which oversees a very nice space and thanks to its presence the space is humanized, as you can drink a coffee, a cool glass of water, or entertain your hunger with one of its exquisite herbal pies, but also learn its history monastery.

Further on is the Theoskepasti, a small chapel where according to tradition they were found the relics of Saint Theoctist. Protected by two huge sloping slabs, which act as a roof - and in fact extend very far from the roof creating a photographed strange canopy - the cave church has a door that you can only enter stooped, as it does not exceed 1,40 in height. The length of the cave reaches 5 meters and its width is 2,5 meters, and from the small window is illuminated a beautiful old wood-carved painted iconostasis that mentions as its date of creation in 1849.

The memory of Saint Theoktistis is solemnly honored at the Monastery on November 9.

Fotis Kontoglou described Osia Theoktistis as "Robinson of Orthodoxy", as not only during her earthly life she was forcibly removed from her homeland, which was the Mithymna of Lesvos, traveling as a prisoner in the Aegean with the pirate ships of the infamous Nisiris, and spent the rest, at least 35 years of her life, in Panagia Ekatontapyliani in Paros, but the same fate befell her remains until they reached Ikaria.