Nowadays, due to the development of transportations and the internet, the distant location of monasteries can no more protect monks from the city life temptations. Therefore, the monastery is placed on Patra’s harbor breakwater - just outside the city. It is not concealed anymore; it does not stand away from the society, but retreats a little and continues to sustain its presence. Even though the distance from the city center is small, there is a process involved in approaching it, which stretches time and makes the distance seem much longer than in reality.
The Monastery’s basic elements are reformed and reorganized. The wall, the courtyard, the church, the refectory and the dormitories are placed in a new arrangement and acquire a new architectural expression. Moreover, spaces
used to be outside monasteries like the vegetable garden and cemetery, come now inside. Finally, a museum, a library and secondary spaces complete the complex.

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Design team: Dimitris Anagnostopoulos