Daphni monastery

The Dafni Monastery is located on the outskirts of Alsos Chaidari (Chaidari Grove), 11 km west of Athens, on the main arterial road which has, since ancient times, connected Elefsina (Eleusis) with the capital city of Greece.
In 1990, the Monastery of Daphni in Athens was included by UNESCO in the list of World Heritage Monuments.

The area around the monastery and within the courtyard exudes serenity and a powerful presence.
This monastery was built on the site of an ancient Greek temple dedicated to Apollo Daphneos. This temple was destroyed during a Gothic invasion in 395 BC and later on, the Byzantines built a monastery on this site.
The traveller arriving here will face the image of Pantokrator (God Almighty), a masterful religious mosaic. It is impossible for the camera lens to capture the spirituality, the power and the glory of the light emanating from the figure of Christ in the dome of the monastery’s ‘katholikon’ (main church).
The monastery was built in the 11th century and in its thousand year history it has enjoyed periods of great prosperity. The complex is protected by strong fortifications and towers.
The Monastery of Dafni is open to visitors. This is a place where beauty contributes in synergy with the quietness of the surroundings, creating a fascinating amalgam of forces.