epirus net

It is close to the village Kallithea in a dominant position, into a wholegreen region.  Its founder was the monk Ioakeim (1652) as it is written on the gate of the church. It is said that the monastery was a glebe of the big cave of Kalavryta. It was a wealthy monastery and a centre during the National Wars. Its history is not famous because its heirlooms and the records were hiiden in 1944 (during the Second World War) by the priest Chis and after were lost.

The architcture of the temple was initially basilica with a dome (that collapsed). The wallpaintings are from different periods, 17th and 19th century, and of excellent technique. The older ones are those of the holy gate (16th – 17th century). The best of them is the icon of the Dormition of Virgin Mary.

The holy gate seems that was preserved by the older existing church during the renovation in 1652. Behind the temple is the cemetery of the bishops Iosif and Amvrosios. It was a monastery for men that was dstroyed in 1944, and it was abandoned until 1962, the year of its renovation. Moreover, recently it was renovated once again. The monastery celebrates on August 15th.

In the region of the village of Agios Minas of Zagori, near the exit of Voidomatis river and to the plain of Konitsa, there is a rockshelter, 11 metres higher than the riverbed of today’s river. During the excavations that took place inside the cave, there were found paleolithic tools of stone, residues of fauna as well as trails of fires at an extension of 80 s.m.

The layers of the rocks date back to the paleolithic age and are about 10.000 – 16.000 years old. The excavations have started in 1993 and still are continued. It seems that this cave was used by the hunters of the region who hunted the animals of the gorge of the plain of Konitsa.