The Holy Patriarchal and Crusader Holy Monastery of Saint Dionysius is one of the twenty monasteries of Mount Athos and is ranked fifth in the hierarchy of the Athonite Monasteries and was founded by Saint Dionysius.
It was founded in the second half of the 14th century by Saint Dionysius from Korisos, Kastoria. The help for its completion was given by the Emperor of Trebizond, Alexios III the Great Komnenos. After the fall of Constantinople (1453) many rulers of Moldavia aided the monastery.
It is located on the south-western side of the peninsula, between the monasteries of Grigoriou and Saint Paul. It is built on a steep coastal rock, 80 meters above sea level, next to the so-called “air river” in the form of a towered castle.
In the Monastery, the frescoes of the Katholikon (1547) are notable, as well as the frescoes with the famous scenes from the Apocalypse that are in the corridor outside the bank. Also, noteworthy are the sacred sacristy and the rich historical library of the Monastery. A high-priestly bag and lapel of Saint Chrysostomos of Smyrna are being kept in the sacristy.
The Katholikon of the Monastery of Saint Dionysius, named after Genesios the Forerunner, was built shortly before the middle of the 16th century (1537 – 1547) during the abbotship of Mattheios. Monastery of Saint Dionysius has fourteen chapels. In the Kathalikon of the Monastery of Saint Dionysius is the domed chapel of Panagia Akathistos, with frescoes by the painter Makarios (1615), where the homonymous icon of Panagia, work of the Evangelist Luke, made of wax mastic, is kept.
In the cemetery of the monastery is the tomb of Saint Nephon, who used to be a monk of the monastery, the Metropolitan of Thessaloniki and later the Patriarch of Constantinople.
The Monastic strength of the Monastery is currently around 55 people.
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