This is an image collection of the entrance of the monastery of Panagia Kalamou. The monastery is situated on the mountain lying north of Xanthi at an altitude of 170 m. and is dedicated to Virgin Mary (Panagia). It was probably founded during the 11th century AD, as it is evidenced by parts of a marble iconostasis and a funerary stele with embossing decoration, now kept in Kavala. Local tradition pushes the founding date backwards to the Iconoclasm years (726-843 AD), when iconolaters flew from Constantinople and came to this area, where they built the monastery. The name “Kalamou” or “Kalamiotissa” derives from the local tradition stating that a miraculous icon of Virgin Mary was found in a reed bed near Kossinthos River. Thus, the monastery, along with its katholikon (the main church), was dedicated to the Dormition of the Mother of God. It celebrates on August 23rd, on the Apodosis of the Dormition (Leave-taking). Except for the aforementioned parts of an iconostasis and a gravestone, there is currently no more evidence regarding the early phases of the monastery. Indirect information about the later history of the monastery is provided mainly through manuscripts, now kept in Sofia, Bulgaria. These handwritten ecclesiastical texts are dated between the 13th and 15th century AD and, along with other later ecclesiastical books and various notes on them, prove the existence and activity of the monastery during the Byzantine and Ottoman period. The monastery flourished after the 15th century and a workshop for manuscripts reproduction there must have been operating in its grounds during the 16th century. Its wealth grew greatly in the 18th and 19th century, an element linked with the great prosperity of the area due to tobacco cultivation and processing. Nevertheless, the Officers from the city’s Council of Elders, who were in charge of the monastery’s economic and administrative affairs, mismanaged and took a big part of its wealth. This fact, along with the earthquakes that took place in 1829 and the seizure and transfer of the monastery’s relics to Sofia during the Bulgarian occupation (1913-1919), led to its gradual decline. In 1922 a great part of the monastery’s estates was given to the refugees that came from Asia Minor after the population exchange with Turkey. Regarding the architectural history, the modern katholikon lies on top of older ones, but in general the monastery doesn’t relate much to its original appearance. The Post-Byzantine church that existed until 1829 was almost totally destroyed in the severe earthquake of that year. The Bishop Eugene (1831-1848) was the pioneer in the effort to rebuild the monastery. During the period 1902-3 a fire must have broken out which destroyed at least the south wing and the katholikon of the monastery. The reconstruction works must have been completed in the time of the Bishop Ioakeim Sgouros (1891-1910). In 1955 some renovations took place, while a small church (a basilica) was built in 1965. A complete renovation started in 1996 and the modern katholikon was inaugurated in 2001 by the Bishop of Xanthi and Peritheorion Panteleimon. The architecture of this church imitates that of the Protaton in Mount Athos. The guest house and monk cells, built during 1906-8, were recently renovated, too. One of the most interesting relics still in the monastery is the altar icon of Panagia “Kalamiotissa”, which was of the iconographic type of 'Hodegetria' and it probably dates back to the 15th century, as well as the icon of the Dormition of Theotokos, dating to the 19th century. Although the monastery was initially for monks, during the second half of the 20th century it became a community of nuns.

Metadata	Information
Source	Athena R.I.C., ILSP, Xanthi, (former Cultural and Educational Technology Institute (CETI) )
Contacts	Christodoulos Chamzas Principal Investigator Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Democritus University of Thrace, Xanthi, Greece Professor
Actor	Anastasia Michailidou, External Research Assistant
Actor	Despoina Tsiafaki, Senior Researcher
Actor	Athanasios Tsaouselis, External Research Assistant
Copyright Credit Line	Holy Metropolis of Xanthi and Peritheorion
Europeana Rights	Creative Commons - Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives (BY-NC-ND)
Spatial	Kalamou Municipality of Xanthi 67100 Greece
Protection Type	Monument
Start Date	1001-01-01
End Date	1100-01-01
Period Name	Middle Byzantine Era
Materials	pantile, stone, brick
Provenace	Holy Metropolis of Xanthi and Peritheorion
Heritage Asset Type	Χριστιανισμός, Είσοδος Μονής, Monasteries, Ορθόδοξη Εκκλησία, Christianity, Monuments, Γυναικεία Μονή, Oriental Orthodox, Μοναστήρι, nunnery, Churches, Orthodox Church, Monastery