Bivongi - Monastero di San Giovanni Theristis

Until the 11th century, Calabria was part of the Byzantine Empire. In the 9th century a Greek monk, St. John Theristos, worked here. After his death, his fame grew, he was declared a saint and his "holy spring" became a pilgrimage destination. In the 11th century a Byzantine monastery was founded. After the Norman conquest, it became one of the most important Basilian monasteries in southern Italy.

It experienced a period of decline until 1579, when it once again became a Basilian center in Calabria with the founding of the Basilian Order of Italy. In the 17th century, however, the monastery was damaged by brigandage and the monks decided to move to a larger monastery, taking with them the relics of their namesake patron saint. After the Napoleonic conquest of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, it was acquired by the Municipality of Bivongi, which sold it to private owners. In 1980 it was sold back to the municipality and in the 1990s it was returned to the Italian Basilian Order. In 2001, the Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I visited the monastery and returned the relic of the saint.

The building (29m x 11m) is an example of the transition between the Byzantine and Norman styles in the architecture of southern Italy.