The Moundon Monastery

This Monastery is located in the village of Diefha which lies in the northern part of Chios.  It honors the name of Aghios Yiannis Prodromos (St. John the Baptist) on August 29^th  of each year.  In 1574, it was renovated by the monk Iakovos Lagadiotis and was considered the most significant monastery following Nea Moni.  Men descending from the Chian aristocracy lived in the Moundon Monastery as monks.

The Monastery maintained an impressive library containing an exquisite parchment that is dated to 1462 A.D.  This parchment probably belonged to the Holy Matrona who was a citizen of Chios.

The Turks destroyed the Monastery in 1822, however, it was reconstructed in the years to follow.  The interior walls of the church of the Monastery display a series of impressive wall paintings dating around 1620, 1730 and 1849.  These wall paintings are maintained in good condition and display a combination of the folk technique with Western influence.