The holy icon of Pontus, in a monastery among the chestnut trees.
From Driades Hotel, a beautiful drive across Mount Vermio — via Veria and the villages of Georgianoi and Kastania — takes you to the New Monastery of Panagia Soumela, built on the slopes of the mountain. It is a trip worth making both for its spiritual significance and for the scenery around it.
The monastery was built in 1951 to house the holy icon of the Virgin Mary brought by refugees from Pontus after the population exchange, as a recreation of the historic Panagia Soumela Monastery near Trabzon. Today it is one of the most important places of pilgrimage for Pontic Greeks, with a festival every 15 August that draws thousands of pilgrims.
Beyond its religious significance, the location offers wonderful views over the plain of Imathia, surrounded by the dense forests of Mount Vermio — a peaceful escape, ideal to combine with a drive around the mountain villages of the area.
The founding of the monastery was the initiative of the doctor and writer Filon Ktenidis, together with the “Panagia Soumela” association, and it was inaugurated in 1952. The main church is built in the Byzantine style and keeps the miraculous icon of the Virgin, which tradition attributes to Saint Luke the Evangelist and which was brought here from the historic monastery in Pontus. Within the grounds there is also a museum space dedicated to Pontic Hellenism.
The drive to the monastery is part of the experience: the road climbs through chestnut and beech trees, with views opening towards the plain at every bend. Most of our guests combine it with a stop in Kastania or Georgianoi for a meal. If you visit around 15 August, bear in mind that the festival draws thousands of pilgrims and access becomes much more difficult — on other days the atmosphere is wonderfully serene.
As the monastery lies on the same side of Mount Vermio as the Seli ski resort, the two destinations are easily combined in a single trip — a morning visit to the monastery and a stop for lunch in the mountain villages make for a lovely day, in winter or summer. In autumn especially, when the chestnut and beech trees change colour, the drive is spectacular; just remember that the altitude means noticeably lower temperatures than on the plain, so bring something warm even on sunny days.
A place of pilgrimage, rooted in the slopes of Mount Vermio.
