Holy Monastery of St Athanasius of Sfinitsis

Near the village of Agkathia in the Meliki area of Imathia stands the Holy Patriarchal and Stavropegic Monastery of St Athanasius of Sfinitsis. It is a women’s monastery of the Holy Metropolis of Veria, Naoussa and Kampania, within easy reach of visitors exploring Vergina and the Aliakmonas plain.

After the Asia Minor Catastrophe the site once sheltered refugee children; monastic life later lapsed until the mid-1990s, when a new sisterhood reconstituted the house as a women’s community (presidential decree 1995). The katholikon was renovated from the foundations and rededicated in late 1994; further wings, a chapel of St Panteleimon, and guest spaces followed in subsequent years.

Pilgrims are received by arrangement. Modest dress is required. Combine a visit with nearby archaeological and religious sites around Vergina and Palatitsia, allowing time for the quiet courtyard and church.