The monastery of Stavronikita comes as 15th in the hierarchy of all monasteries of Agion Oros (Holy Mountain), while it was erected during the 10th century. In the beginning, it was a quite small monastery.
The origin of the name is to a certain extent still unclear. Some believe that comes from two monks, Stavros and Nikitas who were the founders of the monastery, while others argue that it derives from Nicephorus Stavronikitas who was probably the founder.
During the first centuries of the second millennium, the monastery lost all power and it was managed by other monasteries of the peninsula. In 1533, the monk Gregorius Geromeriatis began rebuilding it, a project that lasted for years and it was finished with the decisive contribution of Patriarch Ieremias the First.
Unfortunately, several fires during the years (in 1607, 1817, 1864, and 1879) resulted in the loss of very precious hand scripts and relics. On the church walls, the guest can admire murals of saints made by the famous artist from Crete Theophanis and also the icon of St Nikolaos the Streidas, which was found in the sea. According to the tradition, there was an oyster on the Saint’s forehead and when monks took it out the forehead started bleeding.
There are 50 monks living permanently in the monastery. The monastery has a library with hand scripts and rare relics. While the visitor can reach Stavronikita from the central village of Karyes through a forest path within an hour.