This is a beautiful place to visit on your way to or from Delphi and highly recommended. Delphi is where the best accommodations are to be found. The near by Parnassos National Park is of great beauty and also recommended!
The Osios Lukas monastery was founded in about 1011 AD and is dedicated to a local Greek holy man who endured much suffering at the hands of the Moors and Saracens and finally made his home in this remote area of central Greece. This octagonal Byzantine structure is a hallmark of medieval church design and in excellent condition containing many well preserved mosaics and paintings. It is built upon the foundations of an earlier religious structure dating from 944 AD.
The area saw frequent fighting during the War of Independence of 1821, and cannons remain in the courtyard. Today the site is less a monastery and more a monument with only 20 monks rotating on duty as caretakers. The near by Parnassos Mountains contain some of Greece's most idyllic scenery and a national park.