This
monastery is located in the village of Dievcha, in the northern part of Chios,
before Volissos. It honors the name of Agios Yianis Prodromos (Saint John the
Forerunner) on August 2nd. It was renovated by the monk Iakovos Lagadiotis in
1574 and, after that of Nea Moni, it was considered the most important monastery
in the island. Men of the Chian aristocracy lived there as monks.
The
monastery maintains an impressive library with a significant parchment dated
from1462 A.D., which is probably the last will and testament of the holy Matrona,
citizen of Chios.
In 1822
the monastery was destroyed by the Turks and it was later restored. The interior
walls of the church of the Monastery display a series of impressive wall
paintings dating around 1620, 1730 and 1849. These beautiful frescoes are
maintained in good condition and display a combination of the folk technique
with Western influence.
