Moni Panagias Exakoustis

The history of the monastery is linked with a charismatic figure who lived here, the abbot Hatzi Ananias. Ananias is said that as an infant did not suckle on Wednesdays and Fridays and refused to touch the breast of his mother. He never ate meat, fish and cheese. He was barefoot and dressed like an animal, while he used an animal leather as a cover and a stone as a pillow. At the age of 14 years he moved to Kapsas Monastery, where he was influenced by the monk Gerontoyannis and in 1877 he returned to Males. In the ruins of the monastery of Exakousti there was a cave where he found the icon of the Virgin Mary (Panagia) and then decided to rebuild the monastery. After his death he was declared a saint and during his life he is said to have worked wonders, while pilgrims flocked to Exakousti to get his bless or cure. Today, the tomb of the monk is found in the monastery.