The Monastery of Agios Andreas Milapidia was founded in 1587 by Countess Roxani. An image of St. Andrew was found under a meadow, and so the monastery got its name from the tree. It is located right next to the Ecclesiastical Museum of St. Andrew and visitors are amazed by its treasures and beauty.
The monastery was founded during the Byzantine era and was re-established in 1579 when three local spiritual sisters Benedict, the Leontia and Magdalene bought the land where the church of the Apostle Andrew once stood and started a small nunnery.
In 1639 the Greek-Romanian princess Roxane, who was renamed Romylia, began her monastic life. The rich princess dedicated a large amount of money to the monastery and brought a valuable spiritual treasure from Mount Athos. They were the holy relics of the right foot (sole) of the Apostle Andrew, with the hole from the crucifixion of the Saint.
The monastery also has an Ecclesiastical Byzantine Museum founded in 1988, which is located in the old church that was the only building that survived the earthquake of 1953. The art treasures found there date between 1300-1900 AD
In addition to the existing murals and icons found in the monastery, they have been transferred to the museum and other abandoned churches throughout Kefalonia.
During the British occupation in the early 19th century, there was a conflict between the nuns and the British who temporarily interrupted the Divine Liturgy at the Monastery and covered its beautiful frescoes with lime in 1832, because the Monastery – a Greek Orthodox center – had a negative attitude towards the British occupation.
Now the treasures of the Monastery and the icons are displayed with pride and among them there is a ‘s office of the nun Romylia with her parents.
In the Monastery there are constant vigils and the Divine Liturgy takes place every Sunday. The nuns spend the rest of their time making formal races for bishops, crafts and gardening. The Monastery celebrates twice a year – on the Friday after Easter and on November 30, which is the day of the feast of St. Apostle Andrew.