The monastery of Gonia is about 1 km north of Kolimbari, on the coast of the Rodopos peninsula. We hurtled past it once on the road train (which caused quite a complaint as it was in the programme), then went back on the bus another day and were successful the second time.
The monastery is dedicated to the Holy Virgin Hodegetria (literally "who guides"). As you can see from the aerial view below, taken from their leaflet, it consists of a church, surrounded by a courtyard, surrounded in turn by monks' cells and other communal rooms.
Here also are a few views which I took, the first taken from the port of Kolimbari. It shows the monastery with its red cupola on the left, and the two buildings of the Greek Orthodox Academy on the right:
The two shots below were taken from the Orthodox Academy:
The monastery was originally built further north on the peninsula, but after repeated raids by pirates, it was relocated to another site during the 13th century, then finally here in the 17th century. It has been attacked six times by the Turks, most notably in 1867, when many important books were destroyed by fire, but cannonballs fired at the masonry sunk into the seaward walls, but did not destroy them:
In 1821 the monastery was used as a hospital in the Greek War of Independence, and during the Second World War was used as a headquarters for the resistance against the German occupation.
As you go into the church, on the walls are beautiful frescoes painted on wood. This one was taken from a postcard:
The following were smaller panels, scanned in from the leaflet:
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And finally, there is a fountain across the road to the front, where pilgrims used to drink:
As with most churches and monasteries, visitors are welcome, but their shoulders and knees must be covered. They also don't like tattoos. This monastery is quite practical in providing spare clothes, hung inside the door, which you can borrow. Guided tours can be booked, and there are loos, but they stop short of tea rooms - advisable to bring enough water for the walk!