Church Museum of Nisyros/Panagia Spiliani
Church Museum of Nisyros/Panagia Spiliani
Church Museum of Nisyros/Panagia Spiliani
4
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience Church Museum of Nisyros/Panagia Spiliani and nearby attractions
The area
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
21 within 5 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.0
63 reviews
Excellent
28
Very good
20
Average
13
Poor
1
Terrible
1
Martin D
London, UK897 contributions
Sept 2020
I muddle of small displays scattered around with nothing of note this is not somewhere to seek out or spend much time in. It is one of those sights where you will enjoy the journey more than destination. Merely an excuse for a walk.
Written 14 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mika
Athens, Greece62 contributions
Aug 2017 • Couples
Magnificent view of mandraki and a greek monastery worth visiting! Unfortunately there is no tour explaining the history of the monastery but you will get lost by the sense of religion,history and sea breeze.
Written 7 August 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bichoes
Stara Zagora, Bulgaria719 contributions
Aug 2016 • Family
Me and my wife visit Monastery of Panagia Spiliani on island of Nisyros in august with boat 'Iro" from Kardamena, Kos. We seen the monastery just from the boat. It rises up on an 30 m innormal rock on the end of Mandraki, above rest of the bildings. U can reach to the Monastery only via 270 steps. The monastery is established in 14 centuary in the ruins of Castle of the Knights Hospitaller that dominates the town. Inside the monastery u can find a cave chapel with icon of Panagia Spiliani ( Our Lady from the Cave) that is miracoulos patron of the island.
According to the legend, a local farmer discovered a small cave, around 1400 AD, with an icon of the Virgin Mary inside this cave, near the hot springs of Mandraki on the island of Nissiros. He took this icon to the church of Panagia Potamitisas (the Virgin of the Rivers). The next day, the icon was missing. They supposed it to be stolen but after a few days it was rediscovered by the locals in a cave on a 30m high rock. Again they took the icon to the church of Panagia Potamitisas but again the icon went missing and was rediscovered in this same cave on the rocks. This happened three times until the locals decided to transform the cave into a church and leave the icon in its preferred location. This cave has been called Panagia Spiliani and the monastery is built immediately above this cave. The locals of Nissyros dedicate this icon as the protectress of the island.
Just before the entrance of the Monastery there is a small religios shop with orthodox stuff like litle icons of Spiliani, prayer ropes, holy water and other. The Monastery is strongly recomendet for all visitors of Mandraki, not only ortodox christians, but all lovers of history and greek culture. From the top of the hill there is stunning views to Mandraki and Aegean Sea. I hope some day that will return to this holy place and visit Panagia Spiliani one more time.
According to the legend, a local farmer discovered a small cave, around 1400 AD, with an icon of the Virgin Mary inside this cave, near the hot springs of Mandraki on the island of Nissiros. He took this icon to the church of Panagia Potamitisas (the Virgin of the Rivers). The next day, the icon was missing. They supposed it to be stolen but after a few days it was rediscovered by the locals in a cave on a 30m high rock. Again they took the icon to the church of Panagia Potamitisas but again the icon went missing and was rediscovered in this same cave on the rocks. This happened three times until the locals decided to transform the cave into a church and leave the icon in its preferred location. This cave has been called Panagia Spiliani and the monastery is built immediately above this cave. The locals of Nissyros dedicate this icon as the protectress of the island.
Just before the entrance of the Monastery there is a small religios shop with orthodox stuff like litle icons of Spiliani, prayer ropes, holy water and other. The Monastery is strongly recomendet for all visitors of Mandraki, not only ortodox christians, but all lovers of history and greek culture. From the top of the hill there is stunning views to Mandraki and Aegean Sea. I hope some day that will return to this holy place and visit Panagia Spiliani one more time.
Written 11 July 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NFratzeskos
Athens, Greece186 contributions
Nov 2016 • Family
Apart from the well known volcano of the island, the Monastery, the Cathedral and St Nikitas house, it is worth visiting this small but very rich museum showing various offerings mainly to the Monastery of the Theotokos Spiliani. You will be amazed!
Written 9 October 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Excursion277466
20 contributions
Sept 2016 • Friends
If no time - skip it. The only interesting thing is the "plastics" of parts of body which are being hanged on the "teblo" if i can name it so. It can remain you on the paganistic tradition of hanging of symbols / plastics of body parts in the temples of Asclepius / Hypocrates in order to recover from illness.
Written 1 November 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tiny
Heist-op-den-Berg, Belgium32 contributions
Aug 2024 • Couples
Special experience with big impact. The Silence, the view, the traditions, undescribable experience. Very small church, best to avoid big groups.
Written 19 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Neilaa
Swansea, UK1,438 contributions
Oct 2020 • Couples
Very interesting and beautiful monastery with great views from the top. A bit of a trek but well worth it once inside .
Written 4 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mandamoo
Kingston-upon-Hull, UK60 contributions
Sept 2019 • Couples
The church's in Greece are out this world never seen so many beautiful places would recommend anyone to perk inside
Written 26 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
griffithcelf
Manchester, UK402 contributions
June 2019 • Couples
Very interesting Greek Orthodox Monastery complex. Well worth the walk up from the village below, you will be rewarded with great views over the village and beyond across the sea. There is an impressive mosaic panael set in the floor at the entrance, depicting the double-headed eagle of the orthodox church. Only two euros for an entrance ticket, which is also valid for the Church Musem in the village.
Written 25 June 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
saronic
Zurich, Switzerland29,089 contributions
May 2018
From the outside it is impressive to look at: a whitewashed monastery and church inside the ruins of a Castle of the Knights of St.John on top of a big volcanic rock behind the compact village of Mandraki. It tempts one to go inside. After climbing several steps and past shops with religious souvenirs one comes to the monastery itself with two small churches inside, half within caves: the Agios Charalambos and the Koimesis tis Theotokou (Dormition of the Virgin) with a miraculous icon, covered in silver und full of metal votive offerings, depicting persons or a human limb. Around lunch time it gets very crowded here with all the daytrippers from Kos. Photography is not allowed.
Much more enjoyable for me was the hike further up to the Palekastro, a hellenistic acropolis with impressive walls (partly restored a few years ago) with good information boards in Greek and English. The hike up here can be done as a circular walk on beautiful old paths Count with about 2h for walk and visit. Naturally the views from here are phantastic, also down to Mandraki.
If afterwards one feels like a swim, there is a the Hohlaki Beach just below the Spiliani Monastery with big pebbles.
Much more enjoyable for me was the hike further up to the Palekastro, a hellenistic acropolis with impressive walls (partly restored a few years ago) with good information boards in Greek and English. The hike up here can be done as a circular walk on beautiful old paths Count with about 2h for walk and visit. Naturally the views from here are phantastic, also down to Mandraki.
If afterwards one feels like a swim, there is a the Hohlaki Beach just below the Spiliani Monastery with big pebbles.
Written 27 November 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
No questions have been asked about this experience
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing