The first clear reference to the old metropolitan of New Fliyotes of the monastery of Saint Panteleimon dates back to 1311. However, the existing buildings – Paleo, Central and Solo – date from 1853 to 1909. A station in the modern history of the band was the 1920s, when the American Red Cross Hospital was established, with the Main Building being the main building block. During World War II, the band was transformed into the seat of the occupying forces, and in 1960, after a devastating fire, it was abandoned. In 1999 the complex became the property of the Ministry of Culture and the 10th Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities.
Today, the monumental complex, occupying an area of 27 acres, consists of a complex of two buildings of the original core (Central and Old Building), a regional (Solo Building), and various other facilities. The Open Antiquities Maintenance Center is already operating in the Solo Building. Three open maintenance workshops covering three main categories of objects: the book (handwritten or printed), ceramics, and the image are formed in the space. Thus, the visitor has the opportunity to lively watch the process of preserving antiquities by staff of the Ephorate. At the same time, on large suspended screens, the detail of the work is presented, either in real-time or video-recorded.
In the framework of the rehabilitation of the old stock, the creation of a model Center for Byzantine Culture, called Justinian, is planned. The main exhibitions of the Center will be hosted at the Central and the Old Building, which thus regain their central role in the operation of the complex. A permanent exhibition will be held in the Main Building, presenting Southern Christian Halkidiki, through the most important excavations in the region. A tour of Mount Athos will be organized in the Old Building, based on a large-scale model of the Athon peninsula, combined with digital analogues. The Open Building for the Maintenance of Antiquities was organized and operated in the Individual Building
The presentation of the monumental ensemble itself, as well as its antiquities, are part of a more general framework of recreation. Thus, an integrated archaeological walk is created, in which, in combination with the view and the organized plantings, are articulated attitudes of multiple interest.
In an alternative route an “open-air museum” will be organized, which will include some important findings of the prehistoric and classical period, giving details of the historical route in Chalkidiki, from the Paleolithic to the post-Byzantine period. On the ruins of a damp building will be a refreshment, incorporating a modern construction. In the new building blocks will be housed a shop, a restaurant, while an open-air amphitheater will be formed, aiming at hosting events regardless of the time of the complex.
