One of the most famous and revered Orthodox shrines of Greece, of course, is the Byzantine monastery of Osios Lucas. The cloister is situated in an incredibly scenic location on the slopes of mount Helikon, near the settlement of Distomo and about 20 km from the capital of the Prefecture of Boeotia - the city of Livadia. The monastery of Osios Lucas was founded in the first half of the 10th century by St. Luke Striatum, the relics of which are now stored in the monastery.

The oldest building in the monastery complex is the Church of the blessed virgin Mary (formerly Church of St. Barbara), the construction of which was begun during the life of St. Luke. The construction is a cross-domed Church on four columns with tahkonhovi apse and surmounted by a dome on pendentives. Of particular interest is the cladding of external walls (made in so called "mixed media" using red brick, white stone and marble) and the interior of the Church, where to this day preserved carved capitals lace hollow cornices, marble floors and frescoes.

On the South side of the Church of the blessed virgin Mary adjoins the main Catholicon of the monastery - Church of St. Luke (XI century). This cross-domed Church octagonally shape with a circular bypass in the upper tier. The cupola rests on the Tromp, and the drum has 16 small Windows. Outside walls are covered with tile and white stone, with many marble inserts, in combination with double and triple arches of the Windows gives the Church a certain sophistication. Undoubtedly impressive and the interior of the temple. Individual attention, vaulted narthex was decorated with unique antique mosaics and colored marble, as well as superb mosaics and frescoes of the nave and apse.

Among the other buildings of the monastery it is worth noting the dining hall, which today houses the Museum of Byzantine art, and the tower is the only surviving of the three monastic towers. The monastery also has a variety of outbuildings and cells.

The monastery of Osios Lucas is perfectly preserved to our days and is one of the most important monuments of Byzantine architecture. In 1990, the monastery of Osios Lucas together with famous Greek sanctuaries as NEA Moni and Daphne entered the list of UNESCO world heritage site.