The profitis ilias monastery santorini stands on the highest point of the island at about 560 metres, above Pyrgos. Founded in 1711 to 1712 and still a working Orthodox monastery, it opens in the mornings, asks for shoulders and knees to be covered, and gives the only view from which the whole island is visible at once. Santorini Tours is a local operator running private tours and transfers on the island.
Profitis Ilias Monastery Santorini: The Short Answer
The profitis ilias monastery santorini stands on the highest point of the island, at about 560 metres, above the village of Pyrgos. It was founded in 1711 to 1712, it is still a working Orthodox monastery, and from its terrace you can see the whole of Santorini at once, Ancient Thira on the ridge below and, on a clear day, Ios and Anafi.
Opening hours at the profitis ilias monastery santorini are limited and change. Mornings are the reliable window, the church closes in the middle of the day, and shoulders and knees must be covered for men and women alike.
Drive up from Pyrgos in ten minutes. There is no bus, the road is a series of hairpins, and the walk up from the village takes about an hour in full sun.
Getting There
From Pyrgos to the profitis ilias monastery santorini. Ten minutes by car up a narrow switchback road that climbs the mountain behind the village.
From Fira. Twenty-five minutes, and from Oia about forty.
Parking. A small area outside the gate, which fills when a coach is up there.
By bus. None. The nearest stop is Pyrgos, an hour’s climb below.
On foot. The old path from Pyrgos to the profitis ilias monastery santorini takes fifty minutes to an hour uphill, on a mix of track and road, with no shade at all. Early morning or not at all in summer.
Continuing on. A rough trail runs from the monastery along the ridge to Ancient Thira, which is one of the better walks on the island for anybody with proper shoes.
The radar station. Military installations share the summit, so photography is restricted at the top of the road and signs make that clear.
What Is There
The church. The heart of the profitis ilias monastery santorini: a cross-in-square katholikon with a carved wooden iconostasis, silver work and icons, dim and cool after the glare outside.
The collections. The monastery has held ecclesiastical and folklore collections, including manuscripts, vestments and old workshops such as a bakery and a carpenter’s shop. Access depends on whether a monk is available to open them.
The courtyard. Whitewashed, quiet, with the bell tower and a view straight down the mountain.
The terrace. The reason most visitors come: the whole island laid out, from Akrotiri in the south to Oia at the northern tip.
What is not there. A café, a shop, a ticket office or anything resembling a visitor centre. The profitis ilias monastery santorini is a monastery rather than an attraction.
See Pyrgos.
The History
1711–1712. Two monks from Pyrgos, brothers, found the profitis ilias monastery santorini on the peak that the island had called Profitis Ilias for centuries. Hilltop chapels to the prophet Elijah are a Greek habit, and this is the island’s own.
The eighteenth century. The community grows rich on land, wine and shipping, and the profitis ilias monastery santorini becomes the largest landowner on the island and a centre of learning.
The secret school. Like several Greek monasteries, it is associated with teaching Greek letters during Ottoman rule, and the tradition is remembered here whether or not every detail of the story survives scrutiny.
The nineteenth century. A working estate: vineyards, cellars, a bakery, a carpenter’s shop and a school, most of which have been preserved as collections.
1956. The great Amorgos earthquake damages the buildings badly, as it does most of Santorini, and repairs continue for years afterwards.
The twentieth century. The military take part of the summit for a radar station, and the monastic community shrinks to a handful.
Today. Still occupied, still holding services, and open to visitors in the mornings when somebody is free to open the church.
See the island’s history.
When to Go
Morning, any month. The profitis ilias monastery santorini church is open, the air is clear and the view is at its best before the haze builds.
April to June. Green slopes below, comfortable temperatures at the top and a clear horizon.
July and August. Cooler than the coast and still hot at eleven. Go early, and remember the profitis ilias monastery santorini closes in the middle of the day.
September and October. Our pick: clear light, warm afternoons and no crowd at all.
Winter. Cold and windy at 560 metres, occasionally in cloud, and the island below looks like a different place entirely.
20 July. The feast day, when the road fills and the monastery is at its liveliest.
See the weather month by month.
Practical Notes
The road to the profitis ilias monastery santorini. Narrow, steep and full of hairpins, with a few passing places. Coaches use it, so take the bends wide.
Driving conditions. Fine in a small hire car, unpleasant in wind, and slow behind a bus.
Facilities. None on the mountain. Water and a toilet stop in Pyrgos before you drive up.
Mobility. The courtyard is reached over a few steps and uneven stone. Not accessible in a wheelchair, though a car can park at the gate and the view is available from just inside it.
Children. Fine, briefly. There is nothing here to hold a small child’s attention beyond the bell tower.
Wind. Constant at the summit, which is why the monastery sits behind high walls.
The one thing to bring. A layer with sleeves. It covers the dress code and the temperature at the same time, which is the practical answer to visiting the profitis ilias monastery santorini in any season.
Opening Hours and Etiquette
Hours at the profitis ilias monastery santorini. Mornings, typically from around nine until early afternoon, and they vary with the season and with the community’s own timetable. Ring ahead through your hotel if the visit matters.
Closed. Often in the middle of the day and sometimes without notice.
Entry. Free, with a donation box inside.
Dress. Shoulders and knees covered, men and women. Wraps are not reliably provided at the profitis ilias monastery santorini, so carry a scarf.
Photography. Not inside the church, and not towards the military installations on the summit.
Behaviour. It is a working monastery with a small community. Quiet voices, no drones, and no wandering into the private wings.
Time needed. Half an hour for the church and the terrace, an hour if the collections are open.
The View, and Why It Is Worth the Drive
The whole island at once, which is why people drive up to the profitis ilias monastery santorini. This is the only point on Santorini from which you can see both coasts, the caldera and the flat eastern plain in a single turn.
South. Akrotiri, the lighthouse and the red and white cliffs of the south coast.
North. The rim villages strung along the cliff to Oia, with Thirasia behind them.
Below. Kamari, Perissa and the ridge of Mesa Vouno with Ancient Thira on top of it.
Beyond. Ios, Anafi and sometimes the outline of Crete on a very clear day.
The light. Mornings are clearest; afternoons haze over in summer. The profitis ilias monastery santorini terrace is a morning view, not a sunset one.
The temperature. Several degrees cooler than the coast, and windy. Take a layer even in August.
The Feast Day
20 July. The saint’s day of the profitis ilias monastery santorini, and one of the bigger dates in the island’s calendar.
What happens. A service, a procession, and a gathering afterwards with food and wine, attended by families from Pyrgos and the surrounding villages.
Getting up there. The road fills, so arrive early or arrange a driver.
Worth attending? Yes, if you are on the island. It is a genuine village feast rather than a performance for visitors, which is exactly what makes it worth the evening.
The rest of the summer. Ordinary opening, ordinary quiet, and a courtyard with nobody in it at ten in the morning.
See the island’s festival calendar.
Combining It With the Rest of the Day
With Pyrgos. The obvious pairing for the profitis ilias monastery santorini: the village below, its castle and lanes, then the monastery above it, then lunch in the square.
With the wineries. Several of the best sit on the slopes between Pyrgos and Megalochori, ten minutes away. See the wine tour.
With Ancient Thira. The ridge trail links the two, or drive round via Kamari.
With Akrotiri. Both in one morning is comfortable: the buried city at opening, the profitis ilias monastery santorini at eleven, lunch inland at one.
What not to pair it with. A boat day. The monastery closes in the afternoon and the boat leaves in the morning.
On a cruise day. Possible on a private day and tight on a group excursion; the road up is slow.
Profitis Ilias Monastery Santorini: Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the profitis ilias monastery santorini? On the island’s highest point at about 560 metres, on the mountain above Pyrgos, roughly twenty-five minutes from Fira by car.
When was it built? Founded in 1711 to 1712, and rebuilt and extended several times since, including after the 1956 earthquake.
Is it still a working monastery? Yes, with a small resident community, which is why opening hours are limited.
What are the opening hours? Mornings, usually from around nine until early afternoon, varying by season. Check locally before making a special trip.
Is there an entrance fee? No. There is a donation box.
What should you wear? Shoulders and knees covered for men and women. Carry a scarf, as cover-ups are not always provided.
Can you photograph it? The courtyard and the view, yes. Not inside the church, and not towards the military radar station on the summit.
Can you walk up? Yes, from Pyrgos in about an hour, uphill and with no shade. Do it early or not at all in summer.
Is there a bus? No. The nearest stop is Pyrgos.
How long do you need? Half an hour to an hour, depending on whether the collections are open.
Is it worth it? For the view alone, yes, and it is the only place on Santorini where the whole island is visible at once.
We Will Take You Up Before the Coaches
We are a local operator running private tours and transfers in our own vehicles, and this is a stop that rewards the right hour: the church open, the terrace empty, the air clear before the summer haze arrives.
Tell us your dates and we will build the profitis ilias monastery santorini into a morning with Pyrgos below it and a winery afterwards, rather than as a photograph taken through a coach window on the way somewhere else.
Prices are per vehicle rather than per person, hotel pickup anywhere on the island is included, we guide in twelve languages, and an 80 EUR deposit confirms a date.
See the personalised tour, the full day tour, or contact us.
Every Village and Site on the Island
Any of these can be built into a private day. Each has its own page with what to see and how long to allow.
Caldera villages: Fira · Firostefani · Imerovigli · Oia · Finikia · Baxedes
Inland villages: Pyrgos · Megalochori · Emporio · Mesaria · Karterados · Vothonas · Vourvoulos · Exo Gonia · Mesa Gonia · Pigadia
Beaches: Perissa · Perivolos · Kamari · Vlychada · Monolithos · Red Beach · White Beach · Agios Georgios · Agia Paraskevi
Sites and landmarks: Akrotiri · Ancient Thira · Akrotiri Lighthouse · Nea Kameni · Palia Kameni · Thirasia · Athinios Port
All our tours: All Santorini tours · Full day tour · Sightseeing tour · Personalised tour · North part tour · Horse riding · South part tour · Sunset tour · Shore excursion · Caldera tour · Food experience · Wine tour · Historical tour · Small group tour
Planning and services: Famous sights tour · Private transfers · Transfers to Oia and Finikia · Transfers to other villages · Villages of Santorini · History of Santorini · Tours near you · Languages we guide in · Food and fun tours · Gay friendly tours · Our tour buses · Daily tours · Day tours · FAQ · Gallery · Tour photo gallery · About us · Contact · Blog
