Built on Mount Parnon, it is known as the ‘Second Mount Athos’ and ‘Mount Athos of Southern Greece’ because Christians from Mount Athos immigrated here during the reign of Emperor Constantine IV (668-685) and because no other Greek mountain has so many monasteries.
The monastery is located on a wooded slope surrounded by fir trees, 920 metres above sea level, in the Agios Petros region, eight kilometres from the town of Xerokampi, 47 kilometres from Tripoli and 30 kilometres from Astros.
The first Malevis Monastery was built on a high place called Malevou, now called Kanala, in the isolated and trackless forests of Malevou. The chronical book of the monks states that the first monastery was founded in 717 AD, but a year later, all of the Monks died, and the final monk, seeing his inevitable end, left a hidden message of what transpired. From that time, other monks decided to leave this monastery at “the Channels” and re-build the monastery at another, lower location.
There are many icons of Panagia throughout the centuries that have been shown miraculous by the Grace of Christ and the Theotokos, and for over forty years, the ancient Icon of the Dormition of the Theotokos (called Panagia Malevi) has been exuding Holy Myrrh which is intensely fragrant and has helped work many, many miracles throughout the world.
The miraculous Icon is one of the seventy images painted by the Evangelist St. Luke. Residents of Mount Athos brought the icon to the first monastery in the Canal.
Following the tragic end of the monks who died due to the extreme cold and the roaring winds, the miraculous Icon was left alone and came to the place it is today. It repeatedly was found in some local bushes and was constantly found illumined by a divine light. Three attempts were made to move the Icon to no avail, so a church was built at that location in 1116, and in the year 1362, the silver covering was added to the Icon.
It is a miraculous image of Panagia celebrated on the 23rd of August. It is a
a day where thousands of believers from all over Greece come to pray.
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