The Holy Monastery of Fotodotis is considered to be the oldest castle monastery in Naxos. It is built in a prominent and beautiful area, overlooking centuries old oak trees, just above the village of Danakos and at an altitude of 480 meters from the sea. Hagiographies and its dated inscriptions refer to the Byzantine era.
The theories for the building of the monastery are many: some assume that it was built by a Byzantine princess, others believe that there was an ancient castle here, while many speculate that it was built by the Empress Irene (late 7th century) or the son of Alexios Komninos when he returned as winner from a campaign.
Tradition and legend says that in the sea of Naxos, many centuries ago, a princess was sailing many centuries ago, who, because of the sea storm and because her ship was sinking, she had told the Lord that if she came alive on land, wherever she saw the first light, she would build Him a Church. So, the princess was saved from the turmoil and, reaching the land, she saw the first light exactly where the Monastery of Photodotis is built.
Later, it was seized by the Latin conquerors and granted in 1227, by Marco I Sanoudo, to Benedictine monks. It is recalled that Naxos after the fall of 1204 had come under the jurisdiction of the Venetians. During this period additions and reinforcements were made to the fortification that gave it its final form, reminiscent of a castle. The monastery took the form of a fortress in the 15th century. During the Ottoman domination it passed under the jurisdiction of Patmos, as glebe land of the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian, where it belongs today.
The Monastery, on 6 August, celebrates in the Transfiguration of the Savior and is visited by a crowd of people.
The monastery was recently restored and reconstructed. During the restoration work of the Catholic of the Monastery of Photodotis which was built around the 6th century AD, were found frescoes (non-virtual) of the 9th century and even the end of the iconoclastic period.
Photodotis is a tower-like monastery with a height of about 17 meters and consists of the ground floor, where is the Catholic, and two other floors where the dining room and monks' cells were housed. It is very important to mention the marble iconostasis of the Monastery with the remarkable Byzantine sculpture, which was reconstructed in 1776 according to the carved inscription on the floor of the 12th century, as well as the relics of the non-virtual frescoes that are in the sacred step of the Katholikon (catholic) of the Monastery.
