Malevi Monastery

Malevi is one of the most famous monasteries of the Peloponnese, located at an altitude of 900 meters and is called the "Second Athos".

Holy Mount Athos was not the only mountain in Greece with numerous monasteries. The second such mountain is Parnon, and on it are dozens of monasteries, most of which have not survived to this day. The monastery of Malevi has survived in spite of its difficult history. Today, every Orthodox Christian in the Peloponnese considers it his duty to visit it.

The ancient center of Orthodoxy

There are several versions of the appearance of the monks on the slopes of Parnonia. According to the most popular, people began to settle there long before the monastery of Malevi was founded. They came to Parnon from Mount Athos at the command of the emperor Constantine the Great. The Mother of God appeared to him and wished that Constantine would give her Mount Athos. The male monastery of Malevi, built high in the mountains, was for centuries the center of monastic life. But one day it became hostage to its secluded location. During a harsh winter, the monastery was cut off from civilization by snow, and the monks starved to death.

At the beginning of the twelfth century, Malevi was reborn - already on a new (lower) site, where it stands today. According to the legend, the icon of Our Lady herself chose the place. It disappeared from the monastery and each time appeared where the monastery began its history anew. Malevi enjoyed the great favor of the Byzantine emperors. It was called "the possession of the Blessed Virgin Mary on earth." The new pages of the monastery's history, however, were not unclouded. Malevi survived the Venetian and Turkish dominations. In many ways it was possible thanks to the strong spirit of the monks: they opened a school at the monastery, in which the Greek children studied their native language. Thus, the monastery became a bastion of national culture. In the 18th century, the Turks decided that Malevi had become a refuge for rebels. The monastery was looted and burned, but at the beginning of XIX century under the new abbot experienced unprecedented prosperity. For the next 100 years the monastery was a rebel hospital, closed, empty and then reborn. In 1949 Malevi was again revived and transformed into a convent, now one of the most revered monasteries in Greece.

The Relics of Malevi: with faith in a miracle

The monastery of Malevi attracts pilgrims with many valuable relics, and each of them is important for Orthodox believers. The monastery keeps the relics of St. Nilus Mirotochivy, a monk and iconographer, who is considered the heavenly patron of Malevi. His most famous creation, the double-sided icon of the Assumption and Resurrection of the Virgin Mary, is in the monastery. You can see it in the refectory.

The greatest relic of Malevi, placed in a silver case with an indication of the year (1362), is the icon of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is otherwise known as "Our Lady of Malevi". Its authorship is attributed to the Apostle Luke, and the icon itself is revered as miraculous. It is impossible to calculate how many miracles it has done. People turn to Our Lady of Malevi for healing of heart and ear ailments, paralysis, depression, mental ailments, and meningitis. In Malevi, children born after prayers for deliverance from infertility are often baptized. The monastery has several volumes of books detailing miracles performed. Some of them seem unbelievable, but are nevertheless documented. In the mid-1960s, the Virgin Mary of Malevia began to smell, and this fragrance spread for kilometers. Today, the icon continues to have myrrh. The myrrh is collected and given to all who come to the monastery for healing of ailments.

It is fortunate to be at the Malevi monastery on August 15 and 23. These days the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is widely celebrated, one of the most important dates in the Greek Orthodox Church.