A shocking scandal has emerged from one of Greece’s oldest and most revered monasteries.
The abbot of the historic Mega Spilaio Monastery in the Peloponnese has been accused of attempting to sell centuries-old religious relics for €200,000 - a story that has stunned both church and state authorities.
According to Greek police, the 69-year-old abbot and five alleged accomplices were arrested after a months-long undercover operation that began with an anonymous tip in July.
Officers posing as antiquities dealers met with the suspects in restaurants, rural areas, and even inside the monastery itself before moving in for the arrests last weekend in the Kalavryta region.
Investigators say the network tried to sell 17 Byzantine icons and two rare gospels - dating to 1737 and 1761 - to an undercover female officer.
At least one icon and both gospels are believed to have been stolen from churches in the Sparta area.
The abbot, who has denied all charges, reportedly claimed during a lengthy pre-trial hearing that the sacred objects in question were “family heirlooms” belonging to his grandmother.
Police, however, allege that he had maintained contacts with auction houses in Germany and Cyprus with the intent to smuggle the treasures abroad.
All six suspects remain in custody, facing charges that include forming and directing a criminal organization and embezzlement. If convicted, they could face lengthy prison sentences under Greek law.
The Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Kalavryta swiftly dismissed the abbot and his assistant following the arrests, appointing Metropolitan Ieronymos as interim abbot.
The Ministry of Culture is currently assessing the relics to determine their historical and financial value.
Founded in 362 and carved into a cliff high above the Vouraikos Gorge, Mega Spilaio - literally “Great Cave” - has long been one of Greece’s most treasured monastic sites.
Its walls hold relics, icons, and manuscripts that have survived wars, fires, and earthquakes.
The monastery also played a storied role in the 1821 Greek War of Independence, when monks sheltered revolutionaries and hid weapons in its caves.
Now, that same holy place finds itself in the headlines for all the wrong reasons - a reminder of how easily sacred heritage can be tainted by human greed.