Monastery of Panayia Yiatrissa

The Monastery of Panayia Yiatrissa (Greek: Παναγία Γιάτρισσα, pronounced [pɑːnɑː'jiːɑː jiː’ɑːtriːsɑː]) is a Greek Orthodox church and monastery in the southern Peloponnese of Greece on the Mani Peninsula. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary; a colloquial translation of Panayia Yiatrissa is “Our Lady of Healing”, and Greek churches dedicated to Mary are typically called "Panagia". Tradition holds that it was established as an Orthodox monastery in 1683 and that numerous miraculous healings have occurred there.

The church was erected on the site of the ruins of an Ancient Greek temple of Athena in the Taygetus mountain range in as early as AD 382, coincident with the Christianization of Greece in the early Byzantine period. The complex grew to include many structures spread over a wide area, but at some point it was largely or wholly abandoned for centuries, until its re-opening as a monastery and Panagia in the 17th century.

The condition of the monastery has ebbed and flowed with the long and tumultuous history of the Mani Peninsula. Today, the monastery complex includes a moderately-sized, ornately-decorated, Byzantine-style church and a small chapel. Residential quarters for overnight visitors surround the interior courtyard. The site offers visitors a scenic 360-degree vista, made accessible by a rampart that encircles the complex and enables visitors to walk its perimeter.

The church is primarily used in celebration of the Nativity of Mary, the annual feast day commemorating the birth of the Virgin Mary on September 8. On the feast day, worshippers converge on the monastery individually and in large groups. The monastery has sleeping and eating quarters for several dozen overnight visitors, but the remainder either camp outside or find other accommodations.

The monastery was declared a holy shrine in 1972, and since 1977 it has been staffed full-time by clergy in residence. The monastery maintains a minimal staff of one or two residents and is open most days for visitors and tourists, many seeking views of the Mediterranean Sea and the mountains and valleys of the Taygetus setting. Liturgies are held regularly, and special services and visits can be arranged by contacting the monastery.