Saint John the Baptist Monastery, Serres, Orthodox monastery in Serres, Greece

Saint John the Baptist Monastery stands on the wooded slope of Mount Menoikion, about 10 km northeast of Serres. Its stone and white-plastered buildings have reddish-brown tiled roofs: a gabled block with a small domed tower, a long two-storey wing with a row of upper windows, and an octagonal drum with a conical roof. The stone katholikon holds Byzantine frescoes and a wood-carved iconostasis dated 1804.

The monastery was founded in 1270 by Ioannikios on Mount Menoikion. Around 1300 his nephew Ioakeim built the katholikon, the refectory and high walls. Serbian forces damaged much of the complex in 1345, and in 1371 the monks obtained from Sultan Murad I an exemption from land tax. A women's community has occupied the site since 1986.

Since 1986 the monastery has been run by a women's community, which works with the 12th Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities of Kavala on conservation and restoration. The nuns keep the feast of Saint John the Baptist, the Prodromos, to whom the katholikon is dedicated. A carved wooden iconostasis dated 1804 stands in the main church.

You can reach the site by following marked pathways that lead uphill from Serres town. It is best to check local conditions before visiting, as seasonal changes affect access and opening times throughout the year.

A fresco of Tsar Dušan, Queen Jelena and King Uroš was rediscovered in 2021, after an 1898 abbot had the old founder portraits whitewashed; a later robber Koča of Trstenica seized the aged abbot, who died of his hardships.