Ruins of a post-Byzantine monastery with a strong fortress character at the location Syntzafi, in an isolated mountainous area, 4 kilometers northeast of Chrysapha, Laconia.

The monastery is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist.

History

According to an inscription preserved on the inner side of the western wall of the Katholicon (main church), above the entrance door, the church was erected from foundations of earth and was consecrated in the year 1625. This testimony leads to the conclusion that most likely the remaining buildings of the monastery, as well as its fortification, were constructed around the same period.
However, it cannot be ruled out that the monastery is older and that in 1625 the catholicon was simply rebuilt or radically renovated.
In the absence of other evidence, 1625 is considered the date of construction of the monastery as a whole.

The Monastery was stavropegial, that is, it was directly subordinate to the Ecumenical Patriarchate. A sigillion (patriarchal decree) of Patriarch Gregory V about this monastery is preserved in the National Library (Koufos, 2019).

The Monastery suffered great destruction in August 1826, by the troops of Ibrahim Pasha, who plundered it.
Despite the blow, it continued to function for a while longer, but its final dissolution occurred during the Bavarian Regency, with the implementation of king Otto's Royal Decree of 25 September 1833 regarding the dissolution of monasteries that numbered fewer than six monks.

Since then, since 1834, the Monastery has been considered dissolved. Once a year, on August 29, the feast of the Beheading of the Holy Head of Saint John the Baptist, a Divine Liturgy is celebrated by the parish of Chrysafa.

Sources