Koroni Monastery, Byzantine monastery in Lake Plastiras Municipality, Greece.
Koroni Monastery sits in a wooded area near Lake Plastiras and displays Athonite architectural style with three conches and a central dome. The rooms inside hold religious artworks and sacred objects collected over many centuries.
The monastery was founded in 1123 after an icon of the Virgin Mary was discovered, which became the reason for establishing the site. In the early 16th century it was rebuilt and expanded under the support of nobleman Andreas Bounos.
The monastery's name is debated: a 1929 proposal by the Metropolitan of Thessaliotis links Koroni to the site's appearance from afar as a crown (korona), while Anastasios Orlandos suggested the crow (kourouna). A document of 1718 already uses the name Koroni; earlier it was called Kryera Pigi. The monastery celebrates the Nativity of the Theotokos on 8 September and Saint Seraphim on 4 December.
The monastery is best reached on foot, as access comes through a narrow path across the wooded landscape. Visitors should wear sturdy shoes and be aware that paths can be slippery, especially during wet seasons.
The monastery keeps the head of Saint Seraphim the New, who lived as a monk here in the mid-16th century before being tortured and killed by the Ottomans on 4 December 1601. The skull is kept at the monastery and is honoured each year on that date.
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