Agia Triada Monastery, Sparmos

The Agia Triada Monastery is a Greek Orthodox monastery dedicated to the Holy Trinity (Agia Triada), on the southwestern slopes of Mount Olympus, Greece, near the village of Sparmos, whence it is also commonly known as Sparmou Monastery. Beside the monasteries Agios Dionysios and Kanalon it is one of the monasteries located at Mount Olympus.

The monastery is situated in the west of Mountain at a height of 990 m near the municipality of Elassona.

The exact date of the foundation is not known. Records, however, prove that the monastery was inhabited since at least 1386. It is a stauropegic monastery, subordinated directly to the Patriarch of Constantinople (Istanbul). The monastery's heyday began in the early 17th century, with its climax in the second half of the 18th century. The church was renovated in 1633. The oldest, very well-preserved icons come from this period. The cells of the monks were completed around 1739. The monastery became self-sufficient and had the financial resources to engage in external affairs. The most difficult years were these of the Ottoman reign. The monastery was one of the liturgical schools of Orthodox Christianity as well as schools in Thessaloniki, Constantinople or Venice. Particularly educated monks not only ensured that the Greek language remained alive, but also educated the population. A library and a study room were set up, the bookbinding workshop was practiced by experienced monks from the 17th to the 19th century. Many of the manuscripts and books of that period were saved and are located in the Monastery of Panagia Olympiotissa. Some examples are exhibited in the museum. During the Greek War of Independence against Ottoman rule the monastery supported the Greek fighters. Because of its location, far from the Turkish administration in Elassona, the monks could act relatively freely. They hid fighters and ammunition, cared for clothes and provisions. From the middle of the 19th century the slow decline began, and in the second decade of the 20th century the last monks left the monastery. For about 80 years it was closed. On the initiative of the Met

Church data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).