Archangel Michael Monastery

The largest
monastery on Thassos is a cliff-top convent on the southeast coast.

There has been a
religious presence here since the 12th century when a hermit constructed a
small church, supposedly at the command of the Archangel Michael, the patron
saint of Thassos.

The monastery
was founded a century later but was abandoned during Ottoman times and was only
revived in 1974 by nuns from Volos and a monk from Mount Athos.

The new church
has a traditional cruciform layout and its most famous relic is the nail that
apparently fastened Christ’s right hand to the cross.

This nail brings
in pilgrims from far beyond the shores of Thassos.

The feast of St
Michael is on 8 November and is celebrated around the island.