Monastery Panagia Chrysoleontissa, Orthodox monastery in central Aegina, Greece

The Monastery Panagia Chrysoleontissa is a Greek Orthodox women's monastery founded between 1600 and 1614 on the site of an earlier 1403 monastery destroyed by fire. Its square, fortress-like complex encloses a three-aisled basilica dedicated to the Dormition of the Virgin, Saint Dionysius and Saint Charalambos, with a carved wooden iconostasis made in 1814. A 20-metre square tower built in 1403 for protection against pirates stands left of the church entrance.

The monastery was established between 1600 and 1614 during Ottoman occupation when monks relocated inland to escape pirate raids that threatened their coastal settlement. This move to the mountain plateau marked a turning point for the community's survival and stability.

The name Chrysoleontissa links the icon to the village of Leonti, near Suvala in the north of the island, where the monastery first stood. The icon, kept in a silver cover and dated to the 15th or 16th century, is set left of the 1814 carved wooden iconostasis. Saint Nectarios of Aegina prayed before it when he visited.

The monastery lies inland in the centre of Aegina, about 8 km from the port town of Aegina and 3 km from the Monastery of the Holy Trinity – Saint Nectarios. The approach is on foot along uphill paths, so sturdy shoes help. The 1403 square tower stands to the left of the cathedral entrance.

The 20-metre square tower left of the cathedral entrance was built in 1403 as a defence against pirates, and it survived the fire that destroyed the earlier monastery on the same site. The complex also owns six chapels, among them those of Saints Peter and Paul, Saint Nektarios and Saint Leontios.