The monastery of Saint Nicholas (Agios Nikolaos) in Porto Lagos, Xanthi. Video frameThe floating monastery of Saint Nicholas (Agios Nikolaos) in Porto Lagos, Xanthi in northern Greece is a unique religious monument, not simply because of its location but also due to the serenity and beauty which surround it.
The small monastery, which is part of the Holy and Great Monastery of Vatopedi on Mount Athos, is built on two tiny islets in the lagoon of Porto Lagos in Xanthi, where mainland Greece and Lake Vistonis (Vistonida) meet the Thracian Sea.
The monastery attracts a large number of visitors and pilgrims each year, due to the magnificent views over the Thracian Sea that people can enjoy from there.
A few meters from the Monastery on the neighboring smaller island connected by a small wooden bridge, there is the Church of Panagia Pantanassa, where is located the list of the miraculous image of the Mother of God Pantanassa and here many patients and their families come to worship and ask for healing.
According to tradition and testimonies the Monastery was inaugurated by the patriarch Nectar in the presence of the Byzantine emperor Arkady, to honor the Mother of God Pantanassa, who saved him during a shipwreck on the way from Rome.
