Sissia Monastery
Sissia Monastery Kefalonia
The monastery of Virgin Mary of Sissia is situated at Lourdas Bay. It’s said that St Francis of Assisi, an opinion based on the name of the monastery, founded it.
St Francis of Assisi is the protector of animals, birds and the world of nature.
The monastery used to be a very wealthy monastery and many important monks lived there, like the painter Gerasimos Kokkinos. Among the icons that decorated the church was “Virgin Mary” of the famous painter Tsangarola, which is now kept at the museum of St Andrew in Peratata.
In 1676 the Venetians introduced a yearly march from the Sissia monastery to the capital Castro on the feast of St Mark.
A manly monastery, it was built in the 13th century when Franciscus of Assisi organised a monastery dedicated to the Virgin belonging to the Latin Episcopi of Kefalonia.
During the middle ages the orthodox religion was introduced to the monastery leading to a combined orthodox and Roman-catholic monastic life, which was not always peaceful!
In 1953 the earthquakes, which shook the island completely, destroyed the monastery, so a new building was built nearby a little uphill.
