It is located in the north-eastern part of the island, 3 km from the capital, near the settlement of Thermi, on the site of an early Christian basilica. The course of the monastery is divided into three periods a) from the 10th c. to 1235, b) from 1433 to 1463 and c) from 1962 to the present.
In the first period it was a women’s monastery with an abbess of Ag. Olympia and 30 nuns, all of whom were martyred by Saracen pirates. During the second period, the monastery was a male monastery dedicated to the birth of the Virgin with the abbot of St. Raphael and deacon Ag. Nicholas. During this period, many inhabitants of Thermi had also taken refuge. Then the Turkish conquerors attacked the monastery, killed the priests and the laity and destroyed the monastery complex. This unknown story was revealed by St. Raphael in the middle of the 20th century. , while the hoe and the archaeological research verified what was said. Since then, in 1964 the third period begins with the rebuilding of the monastery, the establishment of guesthouses, temples and with a significant contribution to the local community.
The monastery of Ag. Raphael attracts thousands of people who turn to that place of martyrdom every day, especially on Tuesday after easter, the day of the martyrdom of the saints, when there is a universal celebration.
