If it were not located next to a busy modern day national road one could imagine the Daphni Monastery to be located in Shakespeare’s Athenian forest with elves, kings and queens enjoying a pleasant Midsummer’s Night on the lush meadow among the pine trees behind one of the Greek capital’s most impressive buildings of the Middle Byzantine period.  The site was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1990, together with the Monastery of Hosios Loukas near Delphi, and Nea Moni on the island of Chios.

We visited on 1 May 2022, a day when Athenians come out to the country side to celebrate spring, enjoy lunch with the family and friends, and bring back flowers and wreaths to their homes.    

Already when it was first built in the 6th century, the monastery was erected on an important road, the ancient Sacred Way - the Iera Odos, and served as a way station to Eleusis and farther to Corinth and the Peloponnese. It is the site of the sanctuary of Apollo Daphnaios which was destroyed by the Goths in the 4th century.  It is mentioned in the little museum that of the old temple only one column of the narthex remains, while the others were removed by Lord Elgin and are now in the British Museum.  The missing columns were replaced by white marble replicas. Throughout the centuries after the fall of the Byzantine empire the monastery suffered looting and damage.  After the Ottoman conquest of Athens in 1458, the monastery complex was restored to the Orthodox monks.

As a temporary exhibition (Philhellenism and Greek Revolution - The Daphni Monastery through travellers; open until 11 September 2022) points out, it played an important role during the Greek struggle for independence in the early 19th century when it was used as a garrison.  Later Bavarian troops were stationed there and at the end of the century it was also used as a psychiatric asylum.  

The monastery was hit by several earthquakes, the latest in 1999, which caused severe damage to the katholikon.  Since then the site was closed for many years and only recently reopened after extensive restoration work financed by the Greek government and the European Union, ensuring seismic protection of the structure.  Its superb mosaics on gold background date from the end of the 11th century, a fine example of Middle Byzantine art with scenes from the life of Christ and the Virgin.  The katholicon of Daphni Monastery is said to be one of the most beautiful domed churches in Greece.  Christ Pantokrator dominates at the centre, flanked by prophets and the Virgin Mary in the apse accompanied by angels; other scenes depict the annunciation and birth, baptism and transfiguration of Christ.

Below the narthex is a crypt built for the medieval Dukes of Athens, currently not open to the public.  Flanking the main yard are the monks’ cells.  Today the western side houses offices and a small museum, on the eastern side the temporary exhibition in two rooms on the ground floor; on the upper floor are several rooms and a veranda but not accessible at the time of the visit.  Around the yard there are the remains of wells and various buildings in different states of preservation.

North of the church lie the ruins of the refectory; in the south-east the cemetery of the monastery with the 9th century chapel of Agios Nikolaos. The monastery is protected by a fortified enclosure, which is currently under restoration and covered by scaffolding. 

The entrance is currently free and you can visit Wednesday-Sunday 08:30 to 15:30.  You need to ring the bell at the outer gate and will be received by people working on the restoration project who will also gladly give you information. You can arrive by car, via Iera Odos or if you come on Athinon Avenue you need to turn well before the monastery left to Satovriandou and then right, to Iera Odos.  Be aware you cannot turn left at the monastery directly and the next chance to turn back is several kilometres down at the coast. If you use public transport, take Metro Line 3 to the Agia Marina stop, from there you walk 40 metres to the bus stop and go to Psyciatreio/Moni Dafniou). Information in the Braille system is available.  There is a coffee shop and restaurant next door.