Comnenion monastery, dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos and St. Demetrius, lies at an altitude of 180 m. on Mount Kissavos, near the seaside village Stomio and about 50 km. from Larisa; during the last decades it became famous all over Greece for the spirituality and the sermons of its late hegumen, Fr. Athanasios Mytilenaios.
However, the establishment is old and probably happened the 14th century in a place of ascetism and repentance. Mount Kissavos had the name “The Hill of the Cells”. For the name of the monastery (Comnenion), one version regards that there is a relationship of the monastery with the byzantine dynasty of the Comnenos, whereas the second and the most probable speaks of the name of the broader area as “Oikonomeion” that period of time.
The Comnenion holy monastery is dedicated to Virgin Mary, while it is also named the monastery of Saint Dimitrius. This rename might have happened around 1578 from the settling monks who arrived there from another monastery of Saint Dimitrius.
Many saints of the era of the Turkish domination lived in the monastery, such as saint Symeon the unshod and saint David from Euvoia. The monastery in that era had 300 monks. It was destroyed many times in the years of the Turkish domination and particularly in the years of the Revolution of 1821.
The monastery of Saint Dimitrius was situated at a wooded area and it constituted a safe shelter for the unfortunate Greeks during the period of the Turkish domination. The Turks rarely approached the area and only with a great power of army they ascended to the monastery. In the years of the Revolution of 1821 the monastery offered pivotal services to the fighters. Then many successive invasions of the Turks happened who destroyed many treasures and manuscripts of the library. The dense forest with the ravishing vegetation, made the area untrodden for the Turkish authorities. There escaped with caiques many fugitive families from the slaughter of Chios in 1822.
The last years there is a big attempt for the restoration and reconstruction of the big old Catholicon. In the charming environmental place of the monastery there is the grave of elder Athanasios (Mytilenaios), who slept in 2006 and is until today popular for his rare theological speeches. Also, there is the grave of the blessed archbishop of Larissa Theologos (Pasxalidis).
The monastery celebrates on the Assumption of Theotokos and Saint Dimitrius, while it has the miraculous icon of Panagia Odigitria.
Telephone of the monastery: (+30) 24950-91220