Alistrati Cave
Central Macedonia, Greece
3 km before Alistrati, on the left and on the way N.Zichni-Alistrati, the convert of Agia Kyriaki is situated.It is built in the hills on the foot of the mountain Menikion in a green area. The convent attracts thousands of pilgrims from all over Greece.
After the fall of Constantinopole, a Turk military chief came and inhabited the place of the convent. The abudance in water combined with the good and healthy climated attacted the Turks. However, God didn’t let the sacred place of the convent to the mercy of the Turks.
In the middle of the 19th Century (1850) a Greek servant of the Turk who was called Kiriazis saw Agia Kiriaki in a vision, telling him that he would have to build a church on the foundations of the old church, which obviously pre-existed.
It became known to the Turk chief and plans were made for the building of the church. The convent was renovated with the help of the convent of Eikosifinissa to which the convent of Ag.Kyriaki had belonged since Byzantine times.
Before the Macedonian revolution during 1890, the convent had many monks.
During the Macedonian fight the convent gave shelter to the Greek military leaders of the area and played a significant role in the national case.
At that time the priest was papa-Stefano Petridis whose national and ecclesiastic service was great.
There was a significant library of the Convent which was destroyed during the Macedonian Fight
After many years of desertion in 1953 it became a Convent for nuns and in 1956 it starts flourishing thanks to the active Mother Superior Nemphodora Karamanlidou
On July the 7th the convent celebrates.