96 
Travels into the Levant. 
Part 
Nkmoni. 
ConftMtine 
Monomachus. 
The Church 
of Niamuni. 
St. John Bitp- 
îijï's Thumb. 
The Convent 
oiKidmofii, 
rid). 
from Chio, I made provifion of Bisket, I had little ones with Maflick made for 
me, which were recommended to me, as an excellent thing to drink a mornings 
draught with. 
Having feen the Maflicks, I took my way to Niamoni^ which is a Convent of 
Greek Calloyers^ fome miles diftant from CalUmacha ; but the Way is very bad, 
for there is nothing but up hill and down hill all over the Ifland ; and this Con- 
vent ftands among Woods and Rocks. Being come there, we went firll to 
the Church that is fair and fpacious, and dedicated to Ntamoni^ which in the 
vulgar Greek fignifiies the Only Virgin : This Church was built upon occalion 
of the miraculous finding of an Image, and they relate the matter in this man- 
ner. All the Countrey thereabouts was covered over with very, thick Woods, 
where lived many Hermites or Religious, v/ho obferved one and the fame rule ; 
thefe good Fathers faw aLight every night in the middle of theWoods^and when 
they went towards the place to fee what it was, and were come pretty near,they 
faw no more of it,which ftrangely furprifed them. In fine,this having continued 
a long while, and they having feveral times difcourfed together about it, they 
refolved to fet the Wood on fire in all parts ; and having done accordingly, 
all the Trees were burnt but one, on which they found an Image of the Vir- 
gin. Immediately they deputed fome of their number to go to Confi amine Mo- 
nomachits^ Emperour of Conflammo^le^ who having related the Miracle to him, 
he promifed to build a Church there -, but being expelled the Empire fhortly 
after, he renewed to them his promife of building a Church in that place, if 
God would be fo gracious as reftore him to his Throne : And, indeed, he 
was asgocd as his word ^ for recovering again the Empire, he built it, about 
the the Year of our Lord 1050. This Church is adorned with a great many 
pieces of Marble and Porphyry, fent thither by that Emperour from Ccnftamt- 
nofle -, and amongothers, thereare two and thirty Marble Pillars. The Dome 
is full of Pictures in Mofaick work, and the Church is kept in fo good repair, 
that it feems to be new built. Behind the High Altar, is that miraculouslmage 
of the Virgin painted on v;ood, and the place where the Tree that carried it 
was planted, that place being taken into the Church. They tell of many Mi- 
racles wrought in that Church, and of thele I lhall only relate one, which is 
reprefented on the Altar-piece of the Altar, before which it was wrought. 
T hey fay, that one day when they were eel ebrating the Feftival of that Church, 
and all the Altars were deckM as well as poOibly they could be , fome Moors 
came in, and would have robb'd the Ornaments of one Altar ; who going to it 
at a time ^hen there was no body there, one of them dropt fomething of iron, 
which itriking againft the pavement, made fo great afire, that it burnt them 
to alhes in the fame place -, and in the floor, they Ihew a little hole, which 
fthey fay j was made by the fame iron. They fhew'd me a Thumb of St. Jchn 
Bamifi-, which feems to be of the fame Hand that is kept in Malta : And thçn a 
piece of the true Crofs. Thefe Reliques are richly enchafed. 
Having taken a full view of the Church, I went into the Convent, which is 
very fpacious, and built in form of a Caftle j no Women ever enter it. There 
are commonly two hundred Calhyers in that Convent, governed by an Abbat, 
ând they never exceed that number. When there are any vacant Places, fuch 
as v^ould fupply them, and be Calhyers, pay an hundred Piaftres, and carry 
with them what Eftate they have, which they enjoy during life ^ but after 
their death, it belongs to the Convent, and they cannot difpofe (in favour of 
a Relation, or any body elfe) but of a third of their Eftates, and that too upon 
condition that the Heir make himfelf a Calloyer in the fame Convent, and fo they 
lofe nothing of the Stock. The Convent gives to every Calloyer daily, black 
Bread Wine that is none of the belt, and rotten Cheefe, for the reft they mufi: 
provide themfelves as well as they can : Such of them as are rich, make good 
chear, and live well at their own charges ; nay, there are fome that have good 
Horfes to ride about on, and take the air when they hav^ a mind ; and the 
reft muft make a fbift with their commons ; yet they eat all together in their 
Refedory on Sundays and great Feftivals. When they die, they are carried in 
their habit to a Church dedicated to St. Luhe-, which is without the Convent, 
where they lay them on an Iron-Grateî and if any of the dead Bodies do noE 
corrupt, the reft of theO%fnfay,it isafign that they are excomunicated.This 
Convent 
