Hozoviotissa monastery

About

The Panagia Hozoviotissa Monastery (Greek: Μονή της Παναγίας της Χοζοβιώτισσας) is a Greek Orthodox monastery on the island of Amorgos. It is built on the steep south coast of the island, at an altitude of 300 meters. The monastery took its name from the corruption of "Hozivitissa" or "Kozivitissa", which in turn comes from the toponym Hozeva or Koziva (today Wadi Qelt, Palestine), where the orthodox monastery of Saint George was located.

According to local tradition, the icon of Panagia Hozoviotissa arrived at the time of the Byzantine Iconoclasm by sea in the bay of Agia Anna, near the monastery. The monastery is believed to have been built in the 9th century, at the time of the icon's arrival. The emperor Alexios I Komnenos granted with a royal chrysobullus stauropigian rights to the monastery in 1088.

A silver hexapod in the monastery states that it was renovated by Alexios Komnenos. The monastery is built on a cliff. Access is by climbing 271 steps.

It has a length of 40 meters and a maximum width of 5. The building has eight levels which communicate with each other with staircases built or carved into the rock. Inside the building are Byzantine or pointed arches, built of porolit...