Ormylia Monastery Products

The Holy Convent of the Annunciation of the Mother of God – Ευαγγελισμός – (Ormylia Monastery) is a coenobitic female monastic community at the outskirts of the village Ormylia in Halkidiki, Northern Greece, with over 100 nuns under the spiritual guidance of the Abbess, Gerontissa Nikodeme.

The Convent has a sisterly relationship with our Holy Monastery of Saint John in Perth through our former Abbot, His Grace Bishop Emilianos of Meloa, who established our coenobitic monastic brotherhood here in Perth. His Grace’s Elder, Aimilianos, was the one who established both the Holy Convent of the Annunciation in Ormylia, and the male Monastery of Simonopetra in Mount Athos. Both of these Monasteries were filled with his spiritual children, zealous youths who had been inspired by the teachings of their Elder, Archimandrite Aimilianos, then Abbot of the Great Meteoron Monastery, and who followed him from Meteora to this quieter place in Northern Greece, which was more suited for monastic life. Years later, His Grace Bishop Emilianos of Meloa, also being inspired by this charismatic Geronda, began his monastic life as a spiritual child of Elder Aimilianos in Simonopetra Monastery.

A Patriarchal and Stavropegic Coenobium, dependency of the male Monastery of Simonopetra of Mount Athos, Ormylia Monastery was first established in 1974, a year that marked a difficult journey to resurrect the long abandoned premises of Vatopedi’s metochion in Ormylia, which was then transferred to Simonopetra in order for the sisters to establish themselves as a community in an Athonite daughter-house. Considering that before 1974 Vatopedi’s metochion in Ormylia was regularly occupied in the winter months by shepherds and their numerous flocks, the sisters seeking a home closer to their Elder Aimilianos who had moved along with his monks to Simonopetra, fell upon a wasteland. However, armed with courage and enthusiasm for monastic life, and inspired and lead both practically and spiritually by Abbess Nikodeme, they worked hard with dedication, faith and love, with assistance from the locals as well as the fathers of Simonopetra, to convert this deserted land into the monastic paradise that a pilgrim experiences now when visiting the Ormylia Monastery. The history of the beginnings of the female Convent in association with Simonopetra Monastery and Elder Aimilianos can be found here.

Inspired by the love of Elder Aimilianos, and with the blessings of Gerontissa Nikodeme and Geronda Prodromos, Ormylia and Saint John Monasteries have embarked with great enthusiasm into a new initiative of collaboration via an Australia-wide distribution of products made by the sisters of Ormylia. The long-standing experience, talent and eye to detail of the sisters, not forgetting their prayer and fasting, have all resulted in the effective production and perfection over the years of a number of handmade items, which we will endeavour with God’s help to bring to you here in Australia. These items include the renowned Halkidiki olives throumbes as well as other varieties of olives, spoon sweets, herbal teas, personal care products such as soaps, deodorants and creams, ecclesiastical items such as icons, and other handmade products. At the same time, we are offering books of Elder Aimilianos in various languages. For more details on the Ormylia products, visit our E-Shop here.