The Holy Monastery of Taxiarches is one of the oldest monasteries in Messinia and is located on a hill just north of the village of Polihni. At the same spot is the Castle of the Archangel, around which the ruins of the fortified enclosure and the tower are preserved. The monastery dates back to the 10th century AD and only the Katholikon and some parts of the monks’ cells survive, while the Frankish Castle is later and dates back to the 14th century AD.
The church belongs to the cruciform inscribed type. Its dome is reinforced, internally with two intersecting ribs, an element unusual in Byzantine churches of the Greek area. During the Byzantine period a narthex was added, while in later years a second wooden narthex was added. There is also a strange legend, related to the history of the monastery, which states that an old bell of the monastery has been cast into a cistern with a horned snake guarding it.
