The existence of a contemporary ark in the region of Mani
Could a common monastery be converted to a rescuing ark of Greek tradition?
The answer is “Yes” and it is given by the region of Mani that has actually won the “Oikopolis” award which, in simple words, nominates areas and special cases that manifest an environmental consciousness. The particular award was dedicated to the spiritual elder Gabriel Koviliatsis for his total contribution and personal effort.
The Dolion Monastery case:
Spiritual elder Gabriel with the valuable help and support of the rest of the monks at Dolion Monastery, assemble and cultivate a plethora of neglected local seeds and plants which are in extinction. At the same time, they look after two very rare species of the local fauna which are also in extinction. That, of the donkey of the region of Mani, as well as, the “Skiriano” horse species. We must also mention that the team at Dolion Monastery also make a superb effort in the cultivation of 90 different kinds of olive tree from various areas of Greece.
Next time you are going to be visiting the region of Mani, it would be an excellent idea to visit Dolion Monastery and the homonymous village, in order to witness the magic of what a contemporary ark looks like and how much satisfaction the team acquires by their dedication to their work.
The video below (in Greek language) will certainly inspire you by the life-long inspirational project of the spiritual elder Gabriel.
