32100 Steiri
Tel., Fax: 22670 22797
Open daily - Entrance fee: 3,00 €
From 1 May through 15 September: 08:00-14:00 and 16:00-19:00
From 16 September through 31 October: 08:00-19:00
From 1 November through 30 April: 08:00-17:00

Built on the west slope of Mt. Helikon, below the acropolis of ancient Steirion (present-day Steira of Boiotia), the monastery is one of the most important ecclesiastical monuments of the Middle Byzantine era in Greece and it is dedicated to Hossios Loucas (896-953), famous in his time for his ability to heal the faithful and foresee the future. Believed to have been built during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Ronamos B', the church of Theotocos (God's Mother), is the earliest known example of the four-column, cross-in-square type. Dating back to the 11th century, the second church of the monastery, the catholicon, is one of the most important and beautiful churches in Greece, and it was built in order to house the relics of Hossios Loucas. Hundreds of thousands of visitors come to the Monastery each year to marvel at the exceptional mosaics and frescos, which are among the finest surviving specimens of their time.