Undiscovered Greece – Hosios Loukas Monastery and Archaeological Site

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Hosios Loukas Monastery - Central Greece
Hosios Loukas Monastery - Central Greece

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Greece is such a diverse country offering – besides climate; culture, tradition and a real feel of getting away from it and stepping back in time. There are some real undiscovered parts of the country too, away from the tourist traps. Come and read more and be tempted to discover more that this diverse country has to offer.

Undiscovered Greece

After spending my time around Mount Parnassos, wine tasting and weaving and then visiting a hidden cave and the ancient site of Delphi, it was time to head away from the glorious nature of this area and head back to Athens.  But not before visiting some interesting and yet more hidden gems along the way with Fly Me To The Moon Travel; the Monastry of Hosios Loukas and the Fortress of Eleutherai.

**As always, all thoughts and opinions remain my own, despite any complimentary services received**

Arachova to Hosios Loukas
Arachova to Hosios Loukas

Undiscovered Greece: Hosios Loukas Monastery – where is it?

Approx. a 30 minute drive from Arachova, out of the mountains and heading towards the valleys (eventually the sea), we came across the Monastery of Hosios Loukas.  Essentially two Byzantine churches built next to each other,

The monastery was founded around the middle of the 10th century AD by the monk Loukás from Stýri

Source.

It is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage site and wandering around the well-preserved building, built to honour the hermit the Venerable Luke the Stiriote, is it easy to find peace and solitude and understand why UNESCO lists it.  The only sound on that warm February day came from the elderly men sitting, clicking their worry beads and the far off drone of a tractor in the surrounding fields and valleys.

Monastery of Hosios Loukas near Arachova. Part of the Hidden Greece tour with @flymetothemoontravel

A photo posted by Rebecca Hall – Travel Writer (@beyondbex) on

Undiscovered Greece: The Fortress of Eleutherai near Hosios Loukas Monastery Greece

Having relaxed for a good while, it was off again on our circuitous route to Athens, this time via a very hidden gem – the Fortress of Eleutherai in Mandra.

I’d  never heard of this area – let alone a Fortress.  Imagine my surprise when we rounded a bend and came across this ruined Fortress.  This really was a part of undiscovered Greece.

Fortress of Eleutherai Hosios Loukas Monastery Greece - Life Beyond Borders
Fortress of Eleutherai

Eleuther was the son of Apollo and Aethusa.  The Fortress, once very well preserved, dates between 370 and 360 B.C. Read more about the Fortress here and Eleuther here.

A short walk up to the ruins for a photo stop, then we wound our way back over mountains and valleys back to Athens, stopping for lunch at the town of Pachi – about 45 mins from Athens by the sea.

All in all – my ‘Hidden Gems’ tour of undiscovered Greece, out of season, showed me that Greece has so much more to offer than just beaches and islands.

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Hosios Loukas Monastery - Undiscovered Greece - LifeBeyondBorders

16 COMMENTS

  1. I love poking around in out of the way places just like this one. What a nice discovery the Hosious Loukas monastery was for you!

  2. That’s the whole idea Debi – to tempt others to come and explore. Glad I’ve succeeded!

  3. That the Monastery of Hosios Loukas is a designated UNESCO site, yet completely off the tourism radar, makes it sound wonderful already. Judging by your pictures, it’s beautiful too. Are you allowed to go inside or is it still an active monastery?

  4. I enjoy learning about new places (at least for me). This is the first time I hear about this monastery / area. It is so pretty and interesting! I should not be surprised since I know mainland Greece is full of surprises.

  5. There is so much in Greece I want to explore and discover but finding the hidden Hosios Loukas Monastery looks amazing! Such Beautiful pictures, I wish I could just Mary Poppins myself into your pictures!