The University of Agder´s study centre in Greece is located at a monastery annex which forms part of the well-known Limonos Monastery, on the island of Lesbos in the Aegean Sea. Metochi was founded in the 16th Century, and has been renovated for seminars and study purposes in recent times. Following the foundation of the Study Centre in 1993, the University of Agder has arranged a series of seminars and courses at Metochi every year. The centre is also frequently used by other universities, colleges and organizations. The study centre is run on a non-profit basis.
Metochi Study Centre aims to contribute to the growth of academical insight and human understanding, through courses, conferences, seminars and studies. Subjects and programs naturally connected to the location of the Study Centre in Greece, and it being part of a Greek Orthodox monastery, are to be emphasized. Consequently subjects such as religion, philosophy, ethics, history, human rights, culture studies, ecology and other fields associated with the Mediterranean area are given priority. All activities at Metochi are to bear witness to the values and traditions of the monastery and the local community.
Limonos, the main monastery, is a cultural centre in the Northeast Aegean. It was founded early in the 16th Century, and holds great treasures from the Byzantine period. The monastery is central in the Byzantine tradition, provided education during the Ottoman period, and was important in the Greek people’s fight for independence.