Monastery of Agia Paraskevi

To the south of the prefecture of Serres, two (2) km from the village of Domiros and five (5) km from the foothills of Mount Pangaio, in a picturesque location, lies the Holy Monastery of Agia Paraskevi, with a history of 7.5 centuries. When and how it was founded is unknown, but it is considered one of the oldest Monasteries in our homeland. The Monastery was destroyed twice by arson by the Bulgarians.

It is considered one of the oldest Monasteries in our homeland. It is the first women's monastery in the region of Macedonia. It has deep roots with the centre of Orthodoxy Monasticism, Mount Athos. In a diary of the Iviron Monastery, it is mentioned that in 1345 the King of Serbia Stefan Dušan confirmed the Holy Monastery to the Holy Monastery of Iviron. Also, five hundred years ago, it was reported as a metochion of the Holy Monastery of Eikosifoinissas Pangaio. Until the year 1924, it was destroyed many times by various conquerors. Until then, the Monastery was male with many Monks.

In the year 1924, with the uprooting of Pontus, six (6) Nuns from the Monastery of Agios Ioannis Prodromos in Imera, Pontus, came to the Monastery. The Monastery was completely ruined. All that existed was the church building and some icons. The Nuns brought back to their new homeland whatever they could from the Holy Monastery of Prodromos.

From then on, the Monastery began to be rebuilt, under the blessings of the Metropolitan of Zichnon and Nevrokopi, Mr. Spyridon. The third re-opening and rebuilding of the Holy Monastery began thirteen years ago with the arrival of the Abbess Mariam Andreadou, a nun from Drama, along with her mother Theophano, a nun (the third foundresses of the historic Monastery), and continues to this day with the addition of many buildings. Its current form is owed to the superhuman efforts of the current Abbess, who since 1988 has transformed the Monastery into a true construction site. It is the first women's monastery in the region of Macedonia. Today, fourteen (14) nuns reside in the Monastery, engaged in iconography, needlework, etc. In its guesthouses, only organised groups can stay overnight.