Gold and Faith

Calabria was under Byzantine rule until the beginning of the eleventh century, allowing the region preserve the culture and the Greek language and the territory that would develop the Christianity of the Byzantine rite instead of the Latin rite. Southern Italy in those centuries became one of the main goals of the Orthodox monks from the East, especially from the seventh century after the battle of the iconoclasts. In Aspromonte many monasteries were built, especially in the Valley of Stilaro and in the Valley of Amendolea there were several saints italogreci.

Just in the valley of Stilaro lived and worked in the ninth century San Giovanni Theristis. After his death his reputation among the people of the area grew so much that they proclaimed him a saint and became a place of pilgrimage its places and its aghiasma (sacred spring).

The Orthodox Monastery of San Giovanni Theristis is located in Bivongi , in the province of Reggio Calabria, and currently resides there permanently a monastic community belonging to the Romanian Orthodox Dioceses of Italy.

Built in the second half of the eleventh century, the basilica is a clear testimony of the architectural transition from the Byzantine to the Latin. It has intermingled with each other architectural elements Byzantine and Norman. The basilica looks like Byzantine church, but with dimensions Norman.
The interior actually looks again full of icons, paintings, frescoes and iconostasis admirable ornaments such as gold or the beautiful chandelier in the nave, with a large base of twelve sides, on each of which depicts an apostle.