Monastery of St. Anastasia the Pharmokolitria (Chalkidiki, Greece)

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The Monastery of St. Anastasia the Pharmakolitria is under the jurisdiction of the Church of Constantinople and is located near the village of Vassilika of Thessaloniki (Chalkidiki of Greece), at the base of one of Mount Hortiatis' summits, Adrianos.

History

The monastery is said to have been founded by Leon sometime in the 6th Century but this has not been verified by any historian. It is more likely that it was built in 1522 by St. Theonas, who later became the Metropolitan bishop of Thessaloniki. During the Turkish occupation, the monastery owned many acres of land but the buildings were destroyed by the Turks during the Greek War of Independence of 1821 and were rebuilt in 1830.

The heirlooms of the monastery include the whole-body relic of St. Theona and the head of St. Anastasia the Healer. The monastery belongs to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and honors St. Anastasia December 22.