The beautiful monastery Moni Megali Panagia is situated just south of the "ceramic village" Koumaradei. The monastery dates from the 16th century (founded in 1586 by Nilos and Dionysius, it is the second oldest monastery of Samos) and consists of a beautiful church (with frescoes) surrounded by high walls. It is said that it was built on the remains of an ancient Temple of Artemis. It is open from 10.00 to 13.00 and from 17.30 to 20.00. According to the sign at the entrance you should look dressed (ie no bare shoulders and knees, etc.) and there are towels for you at the entrance so you can dress yourself up a bit. We did not get the impression they were very strict and we have really only seen one monk who was in the "exhibition". We expected to find church treasures here but instead it was just a small shop that sold souvenirs and postcards.

In 2010 there were still busy renovating the monastery and many of the walls were still in decline. In 1990 the monastery was largely destroyed by a fire. The monastery was open to the public though. The monastery church was also opened and we were able to look around freely. The whole interior of the church is decorated with beautiful frescoes, but it is very dark. I did not want to take pictures with a flash, so the frescoes that you see here are some closer to the entrance of the church where a little light could still penetrate. The frescoes in this church are the best preserved of this period.