History

05 Feb 1839

The American missionary Lorenzo Warriner Pease visited the monastery of Kanakaria

The American missionary Lorenzo Warriner Pease visited the monastery of Kanakaria:

Last night it rained a little but this morning although the clouds were thick and hid the sun, still we had no rain but a strong northwest wind. We were on our animals at half past 8 and in 25 minutes we arrived at the monastery of Canacaria. This is evidently quite an old structure. We called for the oecoumenos, who soon made his appearance and exhibited a very pleasant face and a venerable beard. When I gave him the testament he wished to know our names that he may remember us in his prayers.  On passing by the side of the monastery I observed the picture of a saint in fresco on the outside wall of the building, under an arch before which was a light. In front was built a portico to protect it from the weather. Immediately to the east of the church, were some ruins of a cyclopean wall, and a little beyond we saw some wells which originally had been dug out of the solid rock and united together below the surface for the purpose of supplying some ancient city with water. It has evidently been filled up with dirt and cleaned out recently. This (judging from these ruins and others), must have been the site of a very ancient city…