The full synthetic details and photospectroscopic characterization of a peptide nucleic acid (PNA) monomer suitable for Fmoc-based oligomerization chemistry that bears an azobenzene moiety as a base surrogate are reported. The monomer showed the ability to quench the fluorescence emission of fluorescein and pyrene luminophores and proved to be a competent Föster resonance energy transfer partner in a PNA-based molecular beacon.