The monastery of Saint Irene, Andros

The monastery of Saint Irene was founded in 1780 at Archontas in the village of Apoikia by the Spiridou brothers, both of whom were monks. At that time it was a nunnery, but in 1833 it was abandoned, due to King Otto's Royal Degree which demanded the dissolution of the orthodox monasteries, which numbered about 1000 in Greece, with a smalls number of monks or nuns and the confiscation of their properties.  Gradually, the buildings around the church collapsed, although the church remained in good... διαβάστε περισσότερα