Mavrommati - Voulkano Monastery

(Local Name: Moní Voúrkano) From Mavrommáti a road runs east to a saddle in the hills, beyond which stands the fortress-like Voúlkano monastery (17th C.). From the saddle a track winds its way up to the summit of Mt Ithómi, with a ruined monastery occupying the site of the acropolis; the climb takes an hour.

Mavrommáti is a village beside the ruins of ancient Messini.

Near the village is the Monastery of Voulkanos. The monastery stands amid dense trees. It was probably first built in the 16th century near the sanctuary of Ithomatas Zeus, because at its foundations can be seen fragments of Doric columns.

The interior of the monastery church has superb murals, as do the different chapels of the monastery. The newer monastery was built in 1712 on a lower slope of the hill.