The History of the Convent

THE HISTORY OF THE CONVENT

The narrow and picturesque roads of Proti, end, after wondering through small and large houses, to the road that lead to Analipseos Convent, on Mount Pangeo.

The uphill and winding road is located in the middle of a deep, narrow gorge, that is created by the two big and steep mountain tops; the mountain tops emerge from the beginning of the village and end up at the point of the mountain where the historic convent is situated. As we go up the road, just after the first turning near a bridge on the right, we can still see remains of the old chapel of "Prophet Ilia"; in the passage of time the traces of its foundation or its destruction have been wiped out.

From that point on, the road is inclined in a greater degree, and the natural beauty is remarkable.

"The natural environment is magnificent, as the sun is shining just before its setting. The scarlet sun made the leaves of the chestnuts and the beeches look golden, while it made the deep green colour of the oak and pine trees look strangely silver on the sides of the mountain. The enchanted sunset throws blinding light to everything around, making the eyes go blind for a moment, as the impressive convent arises after the last turning of the road, surrounded by a bright cloud, just like a castle or a tower that rises up in the sky ... ." The glorious Convent of the Ascension of Christ (in Greek: Analipsi tou Kiriou").

As we are still ecstatic from this holy masterpiece, the soft ringing of the bells that invite people for the afternoon liturgy, bring us back to reality. "The sun is set, so get decently dressed .....".

From the parking place just outside the churchyard, we can only see the domes and the roofs of the rooms, - that glitter in the colours of sunset and are so close to one another as if they converse or sing like angel in an everlasting liturgy -, as a tall wall protects the convent.

From the top gate, the main and rare cruciform building of the convent invites every guest to get into the "House of God". Low light, with the glory of the Immortal Father... is spread by the setting sun, embracing the whole building mixing the holy smell of incense with the light of the candles and the melodic psalmodies of the nuns.

At the opposite slope we can barely see an old hermitage, a remain of intellectual fights of holy fathers; on the right, the remains of an ancient castle appear among the trees. In the distance, the villages of Drama, Serres and Mount Pangeo seem like far away stars.

Under the light of the moon, the episcopacy, the guest quarters, and the special room for the pilgrims at the north of the main temple in newly built premises, get wonderful colours. The new building is connected with the old one (which is now used as a guest house) by a bridge. The complicated architecture of the buildings is appropriate for the convent.

In this new building we can find: -the rooms of the nuns -the dining room -the kitchen -the storehouses -the labs of religious painting, dressmaking, sewing, and pottery painting -the temple of Archangels -a miniature temple similar to Saint Sophia for everyday liturgies -the abbess' apartment -the library and -the exhibition. An indoor stairs-tunnel makes the movement from one of these places to another easy and quick; all the sections of the convent are characterised by cleanliness, order, and elegance, services that Abbess Anysia and the other nuns along with the people of the area, try hard to render to their beloved and God-blessed .

This ascetic refuge can present its history which date way-back in time. In the 17^th century we find the convent as "Virgin Mary Eikosifinissa"s' dependency, owning 300000 m2 of land.During the Turkish domination, the contribution of the convent both to the country and to the church was very important; that was why Turks, Bulgarians and other unscrupulous people looted, burned and robbed the place many times, particularly in 1913, 1917 and 1944. During those robberies valuable icons and other holy things, including furniture, were stolen.

In 1979 though, with God's blessing and according to a presidential order, the monastery was re-founded and started its works as a convent, under the model of the monasteries of Mount Athos. Georgios and his son Konstantinos Karamanlis contributed greatly in its re-opening, by offering a large amount of money for the re-establishment of the convent. Today, we find the convent very active and intellectually influential to the people of the broad area, who in their turn love and visit the place regularly. The Abbess hopes that soon the convent will become a holy sanctuary.

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