A Golden Byzantine Treasure: Greece’s Hosios Loukas Monastery

Larger Than Life: Art that inspires us through the ages

The historic walled monastery of Hosios Loukas in Greece is a masterpiece of Middle Byzantine art and architecture. Marianna Ianovska/Shutterstock

Since the 10th century, monks have lived at the Hosios Loukas Monastery in Distomo in central Greece, where they make a living by farming the land and selling souvenirs to pilgrims, who eagerly visit the crypt of St. Luke the Younger, the monastery’s founder.

A hermit, Luke of Steiris founded the monastery in the mid-10th century. He was celebrated for performing many miracles and, in particular, correctly prophesying the conquest of Crete by Emperor Romanos.

A Greek Wonder

The walled monastery of Hosios Loukas is one of the most important examples of Middle Byzantine art and architecture. The complex, as it stands today, is from the 11th century.