The present research paper in its first part studies the History and architecture of Christian Monasteries from the beginnings of monasticism to the official establishment of synovial monasticism, as well as the general contribution of Female Monasticism. Reference is made to the development of the movement in Greece and in particular Mt Athos, but also to the formation and establishment of the Greek monastery architecture type. The factors that influence and shape the monastic architectural composition are also mentioned, with particular reference to the role of service in the monastic space. It also studies the dual character of monastic architecture (theo-centered – human) on a morphological, constructional and functional level, the unbreakable relationship between form and use that governs it, as well as the way of adapting an old and predetermined synthetic system to the different needs that characterize each era.

  The main part of the research concerns the Holy Monastery of Timios Prodromos of Serres as a case study of a monastery of the Late Byzantine era. An attempt is made to organize the History of the Monastery with its construction as a guiding principle. Then, through studying routes that have been drawn up by hikers with digital means around the site of the Monastery, an attempt is made to understand its unique environment. During the research a wide variety of architectural issues emerge regarding the experience of space and its aesthetics. Some main issues that arise concern the multitude of forms, materials, colors and spatial relationships, resulting from the combination of the traditional Macedonian architecture and the Athonian-style church building, the predominance of the "graphic" element over the traditional monastery architecture type caused by a large number of disasters the Monastery has suffered over the centuries, with the most recent example being the fire that broke out on December 13 2010, and the unbroken continuity of monasticism on all levels (Historical, Evolutionary, Morphological, Synthetic, Functional).