Help reviving a 17th century abandoned monastery in the small mountain village of Agrampela, Greece

Availability

  2025 

 Min stay requested: No minimum

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Details

  • Description

    Description

    Hi, I am Spyros! Two years ago, I took over this abandoned 17th century monastery on the mountain of Erymanthos, in Peloponnese, hoping to bring life back to it. My dream was to create a centre here, where people will be welcome to visit this monument and connect with nature and most importantly themselves. After an intense period of renovations, we have now slowly started organising workshops here.
    Still there is a lot that needs to be done in terms of making this place better and your assistance would be highly valued. Come and work together.
    I speak fluently Greek and English and have some knowledge of Spanish, French and German.

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    Creating/ Cooking family meals
    Help around the house
    General Maintenance
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    This is a unique opportunity to spend time in a monastery, and even though there are no monks here one still gets the feeling of living in a serene environment and following the local traditions, but also the rhythms that nature dictates. It is also a great opportunity to learn more about the history of the place, the customs and the mountainous way of living. Having lived and travelled in various countries, I would be happy to share personal experiences and learnings. I am also very interested in open source projects and personal development and would be happy to share more on those topics, as well.

  • Charity

    Registered charity

    This host is a registered charity in their country and is looking for volunteers to help with their project(s).

  • Help

    Help

    The place is massive, so there is plenty of general maintenance to be done (cleaning, painting, collecting wood, moving stuff, etc).

    At the same time, support is also needed with the kitchen. So, cooking is definitely a plus!

    Moving out of the renovation phase, I would also like to start making use of the land inside and around the monastery, growing one’s own food, planting trees, flowers and giving a form to the surroundings (which could also translate to planting, digging, weeding, watering, composting).
    For these tasks a certain commitment is needed, so at least in the beginning it might work best for a long-term volunteer.

    Then, more things might happen. Trails could be opened, cleaned or marked. The old water mill could be renovated. Guests might be welcomed. Depending on one’s skills and interests more things could also be done (decoration, art, cuisine, handcraft, interpersonal relations, personal practise, and more).

  • Languages

    Languages spoken
    Greek: Fluent
    English: Fluent
    German: Intermediate
    Spanish: Intermediate
    French: Beginner

    This host offers a language exchange
    It would be my pleasure to help you learn Greek or practise together one of the languages I know

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    Depening on the period, workawayers will either share or have a room of their own inside the monastery, always with a private bathroom. Kitchen, common areas and laundry will be shared, so it is important to keep them clean and tidy. Since this is a monument, visitors might be arriving any time. Volunteers are asked to dress properly to avoid provoking religious guests.

    Food is vegetarian (typical Greek) and will be provided, co-decided and prepared in agreement.

    Smoking, meat consumption and animals are not allowed in the premises.

    There is Wi-Fi available. There is not hot water available every day.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    It needs to be clarified that there is neither public transport in the area, nor a means of transport provided. This is not the typical landscape one might have in mind for Greece. It is a remote area in the mountains. The sea is 1.5h away. Closest shopping area is 10 km away. There are plenty of opportunities for hiking, mountain biking or going into the river, but many enjoyments of the city life are absent. I try to live a simple, quiet life close to nature, so there is no TV or parties, even though there might be workshops from time to time, when the place becomes quite vivid. Workawayers do not have to work for the guests arriving - this is merely my task. Workawayers with their own means of transport will have a lot of opportunities to visit surrounding villages, or make day trips to ancient Olympia, Kalavrita, the Foloi oak forest, the cave of Kapsia and other sights in the area. Due to these restrictions, workawayers are initially invited to apply and plan for shorter periods of stay, up to three weeks. If during this time, one feels more comfortable with the way of living here, the duration may of course be extended.

    May we all live in peace.

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • Can host digital nomads

    Can host digital nomads

    The Wi-Fi connection is not the fastest, but should be sufficient for most online jobs. Again this would be a great combination of working remotely and spending time in nature.

  • Space for parking camper vans

    Space for parking camper vans

    There is space outside of the monastery for a campervan to park. There are no facilities for grey, black water or electricity connection there.

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    More than two

Host ref number: 128617613314

Website Safety

Feedback (12)



Feedback

These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.

Accuracy of profile:
(4.8)

Cultural exchange:
(4.6)

Communication:
(4.9)























Help me make a DIY outdoor spot on a land in Rethymno, Greece
Learn about boat renovation with & on a sailing ship in Preveza, Greece