The Monastery of Nea Moni is the most important Byzantine monument of Chios Island and amongst the most important Byzantine churches in Greece.

The foundation of the monastery of Nea Moni due to three Chian monks who predicted the ascension of Constantine Monomachou to the throne, when he was still exiled to Lesvos Island and they secured imperial sponsorship for the construction of the monastery, when the prophecy was fulfilled in 1042 unexpectedly. The construction project of the monastery lasted until 1055, date of death of Constantine Monomachou. It is said that Constantine Monomachou apart from the costs of the construction of the monastery, endowed the monastery with land property and other income. The same practice was followed by other emperors, that until the 19th century the Nea Moni was one of the richest and most famous monasteries in the Aegean.

This continuity was interrupted in 1822 by the destruction of Chios Island. The Turks occupied the monastery and massacred the monks and defenders of the monastery, burned and excavated for treasures of the church and scattered the rich library and sacristy of the monastery. The final blow came with the earthquake in 1881, when the dome of the church collapsed as well as the bell tower and the arch of the sanctuary and also the mosaics of the church suffered heavy damage.

In 1891 the church was restored by the monks but in a different form than the original, and although the general dimensions remained, the monastery was now in full decline. After the war, the monastery was converted into a convent.