Daphni Monastery

Monastery of Daphni
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Location	Greece
Part of	Monasteries of Daphni, Hosios Loukas and Nea Moni of Chios
Criteria	Cultural: i, iv
Reference	537-002
Inscription	1990 (14th Session)
Area	0.94 ha
Coordinates	38°00′47″N 23°38′09″E / 38.01296°N 23.63588°E
	Location of Daphni Monastery in Greece

Daphni or Dafni (Modern Greek: Δαφνί; Katharevousa: Δαφνίον, Daphnion) is an eleventh-century Byzantine monastery eleven kilometers (6.8 miles) northwest of central Athens in the suburb of Chaidari, south of Athinon Avenue (GR-8A). It is situated near the forest of the same name, on the Sacred Way that led to Eleusis. The forest covers about 18 km² (7 sq mi), and surrounds a laurel grove. "Daphni" is the modern Greek name that means "laurel grove", derived from Daphneion (Lauretum).^[1]

The Daphni Monastery, along with the famous monasteries of Hosios Loukas near Delphi and Nea Moni on the island of Chios, are designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites for their significant historical and architectural value. These monasteries are famed as masterpieces of middle Byzantine architecture, and are especially noted for their sumptuous interior gold-ground mosaics.^[2]

^ Kyriacopoulou, Helen (1956). The Daphne Monastery: History, Architecture, Mosaics. Athens: Society for Peloponnesian Studies, 1956. p. 10.
^ "Monasteries of Daphni, Hosios Loukas and Nea Moni of Chios". UNESCO World Heritage Convention. United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 20 November 2022.

[:0-1] Kyriacopoulou, Helen (1956). The Daphne Monastery: History, Architecture, Mosaics. Athens: Society for Peloponnesian Studies, 1956. p. 10.

[unesco-2] "Monasteries of Daphni, Hosios Loukas and Nea Moni of Chios". UNESCO World Heritage Convention. United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 20 November 2022.

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