Jaap van 't Veen's photos

The Church of Taxiarches is located in the central aquare of Mlilies, one of the quaint Pelion villages. From an architectural point of view the church has very simple exterior, which does not remind of any temple at all, since during the Turkish occupation the construction of majestic orthodox Christian buildings was avoided, so as not to provoke the Turks. It is unknown when exactly this church was built, but a sign at the entrance tells that it was renovated in 1741. The interior of the Church of Taxiarches is stunningly beautiful and impresses visitors with the wall paintings that depict scenes from the Bible and Hell. Of exceptional, but also unique interest is the icon painting, which was probably done by an unknown monk, while the gilded iconostasis was made by Epirote craftsmen. The Church of Taxiarches is an important historical monument for Pelion as in May 1821, the scholar Anthimos Gazis raised the Greek flag and proclaimed the revolution in Thessaly. .

The plane tree in Tsagarada is one of the oldest trees in Europe. It is located in the square of Tsagarada in front of the Agia Paraskevi (PiP4). According to foresters, the tree is around 1000 years old. The circumference of the trunk measures over 15 meters. The crown of the plane tree is so large that it is difficult to measure it. Its perimeter may even be 40 meters. The branches are as thick as a tree trunk. The general condition of the tree is very good. However, the trunk has a cavity which is closed with a metal sheet. One of the branches is supported by a marble pillar. What might have not been taken into account for the age of the tree is that its roots start at about four meters under the paving of the square. Therefore, a large part of the trunk is “buried” for many years now at a depth of at least four meters.

The pericircular - Byzantine dome - Metropolitan Church of St. Nicholas of Volos was built on the initiative of the respective Mayors and Municipal Councils of the city. It was founded in 1928 and inaugurated at the end of 1934 by the then Metropolitan of Demetrias Germanos. The church is the work of the architect Aristotle Zachos and is built on the foundations of an older church that was burned down in1898. The unique art of the baroque style bell tower was built between 1886 - 1890 by Italian craftsmen. It was severely damaged by the 1980 earthquakes and was restored as a listed monument with the same marble in 1999.

The Church of Agios Georgios (Saint George) is located 20km southwest of the city of Kastoria, in the mountainous village Omorfokklesia. The church is one of the most popular Byzantine monuments of Macedonia. From this church the village also took its name, which was initially called Kallista or Ghalista (“kallisti” in Greek means “the most beautiful”). The cruciform church with a narthex is estimated to be built in 11th century. Its interior decoration has plenty frescoes dated in 13th century whereas its exterior frescoes are dated in the early of 14th century. The Church of Agios Georgios is most known for its wooden statue of St. George – wearing the traditional greek skirt “foustanella” – dating back to the 13th century. This oversized historical and cultural value picture is about 3 meters tall and is considered miraculous (PiP5). According to tradition some nuns were trying to carry this sculpture with a stretcher from Konstantinoupolis. As they were passing by the place that the church is nowadays located the stretcher stopped moving against their willing. Then the nuns thought it was St. George’s desire to be there and they decided to built a church to honor his name. Every year thousands of believers visit the church during St. George’s celebration day to pray and stick their coin on the glyph. Once the coin sticks means that the believer has a strong faith and his/her prayers may come true.

The Monastery of Panagia Prousiotissa (the Virgin Mary of Prousos) is dedicated to the Dormition of the Virgin and is one of the most important religious locations in Greece. According to tradition, the icon (PiP1) was painted by St. Luke the Evangelist in Prousa (nowadays Turkish Bursa) during the reign of the iconoclast emperor Theophilus. It was taken away from there to be saved from the burning of the icons the emperor had ordered. The icon was brought to Greece by a young man of noble origin, called Dionysios, but for an unknown reason the icon was lost when Dionysios arrived in Thrace. This holy site dates back to 829AD and is linked to the adventures and the appearance of the holy icon in a cave of this area. The monastery was founded at the exact place which the Virgin Mary chose in a miraculous way. The miraculous icon of Panagia Proutiotissa is now kept in a carved cave church, the first church of the monastery. The katholikon is a cross-shaped temple with a dome. It dates back to 1754 and is also decorated with murals. The icon was found on the 23rd of August which is also the date that the church celebrates. Monastery of Prousos is attracting many faithful each year, who come here to venerate the famous and miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary.

The Monastery of Prousos (Monastery of Panagia Prousiotissa = Virgin Mary of Prousos) is built in beautiful surroundings on a steep rock and above the deep canyon of the river Karpenisiotis . According to the tradition, it was founded in 829 by monks Dionysios and Timotheos, who brought with them the icon of Virgin Mary from Prousa in Asia Minor. However, it is more possible that the monastery was established between the 12th and 14th century. The monastery has a main building where Virgin Mary Prousiotissa is worshiped and a part where the cells of ther monks are located. A small museum is housed in the monastery with several exhibits such as icons dating back to the 15th and 16th century, sacred vestments, silver and golden chalices and handwritten codes and typography books. During the War of Independence against the Turks, it was a refuge for Greek rebels. In August 1944 German troops burnt down a large part of the monastery, destroying many relics, handscripts, books and items of everyday use. The monastery has been rebuilt several times.

The valley of the Karpenisiotis river - about 30 km long - lies between Karpenisi and Prousos. Initially a wide green valley, slowly but surely the Helidona en Kaliakouda mountains on both sides of the valley with plane tree forests become higher and more impressive. The area is not called Greek Switzerland for nothing. A few kilometres after the village of Gavros, the scenery becomes spectacular and the natural beauty reaches it peak. The road along the river becomes narrower and the cliffs in the Kleidi Gorge (PiP1) almost touch. The road passes here with a rocky overhang. After this natural wonder, the valley widens and soon the Prousos Monastery comes into view.

From the beginning until the 10th century the region of Arta belonged to the Metropolis of Corinth and later to the Metropolis of Nicopolis. After the destruction of Nikopolis (11th century) the whole area of Epirus was subordinated to the Metropolis of Nafpaktos. Arta became the seat of a bishopric in the 12th century. The Metropolitan Church of St. Demetrios is located in the center of Arta.

The Agia Triada Church - just a few meters far from the central square - is dating back to the second half of the 16th century, when a smaller church was expanded.. The church is a listed historic monument. It was severly damaged by Turks and destroyed in 1684, but rebuilt in 1693. The church was then completely destroyed in 1756, in a attack known in history as the “Destruction of Karpenisi”. Subsequently, in 1821 it experienced the wrath of the Turks as it was set on fire along with the other churches of the town. The Agiada Triada Church took its current form in 1960 and since then stands tall and welcoming the faithful of the town.

After an unsuccessful attempt in 1844, finally the Kleidonia (also Klidonia) Bridge was built in 1853. This one-arch bridge spans the Voidomatis river in a verdant valley. The construction was paid by Balkiz Hanum, spouse of the Turk Malik-pasha. The elongated arch has a length of 20 meters and a height of 9.15 meters. The path over the bridge is 3,20 meters wide. The bridge is considered being the end of the Vikos Gorge . The Kleidonia Bridge is not only known for its beautiful arch, its location among plane trees and scenic views, but also boasts of a history of a bloody feud between two families for reasons of honor.

The Vyliza (or Viliza) monastery is located near the village of Matsouki. It is built in a wild landscape on an altitude of more than 1.000 meters, overlooking over a gorge of Kallaritikos river. The name “Viliza” - from the Latin word “vigilo”, which means “guardian” - was given to the monastery. Its location and fortuitous construction justify the name. Most probably the monastery was founded in the 11th century. But the most ancient written testimony of Vyliza is the icon of St. John the Baptist, dating back to 1676. The monastery was one of the most important in Epirus with a rich library and a great participation in the local community. The monastery has many cells around the catholicon in a rectangular courtyard. The little church has splendid frescoes, dating back to 1793. The precious icons of the church are replicas. The original icons are kept safely in a museum in the neighboring village of Matsouki. In 1893 the monastery was abandoned and then destroyed. Since 1981 the monastery has been restored. To visit the monastery, we first had to collect the key from a cafe in the village of Matsouki. After parking the car at the roadside, we could start a walk to the monastery. The stone-paved path went constantly up and down and counted many steps. When it started raining on the way back, it was quite a challenging walk of almost 2 kilometres. (See PiPs on the right side of the main picture)

The Bridge of Arta is a stone footbridge crossing the Arachthos river on the outskirts of town. The current bridge is Ottoman and most probably built from 1602 till 1606. However the history of a bridge on that place goes even back to the Roman period. From the annexation of Arta in 1881 to the outbreak of the First Balkan War in 1912, the highest point of the bridge was the border between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Greece. The bridge has a length of 145 meters and the width is 3.75 meters. It has four semicircular arches with no symmetry. The Bridge of Arta received many restorations and additions throughout its history. A major restoration took place during the decade of 1980, after which the bridge got back its beauty. A folk ballad tells a story of how builders were building the bridge, but its foundations would collapse each night. Finally a bird with a human voice informed the master builder that he should sacrifice his wife in order to complete the construction. She was buried alive in the foundations of the bridge. She first curses the bridge, but then turns the curse into a wish once she realizes her brother may cross the bridge. Thus the sacrifice is fulfilled and the spirits of the river all the bridge to be built successfully. In 1931, during repairs, a small room was discovered in one of the bridge pillars: it is claimed that a skeleton was indeed found there.

Lake Kastraki is an artificial lake in western Greece in the Acheloos riverbed at the junction of Inachos tributary. The lake is fed by the rivers Acheloos and Inachos. .It was formed by the Kastraki Dam, which was completed in 1969. The area of the lake is about 28 aquare kilometers and its maximum capacity is 950,000,000 m³ of water. It is used for the generation of hydroelectric power, saving considerable energy by not using oil without harming the environmet. Although Lake Kastraki is artificial it fits fully in the natural environment offering an evergreen scenery.

The picturesque village of Koronisia (or Korakonisia/Kyronisia) was an island until recently. Nowadays it is connected to the sore by Arta by a winding road wit sea on both sides. On one side lies the Amvracian Gulf and on the other the Tsoukalio lagoon with fishing facilities and a lot of bird life. Crossing it was quite an experience and we stopped several times enjoying the great views. Koronisia itself is a (former) fishing village which offers a lot of quietness, sea life and some local tavernas. The village has about 200 inhabitants. On a hill stands the Panagia Koronisia, one of the oldest Byzantine churches in Arta and an architectural juwel dating back to the late 10th century (although often closed, so told an owner of a taverna me). Nearby one can find the small fortress of Koulia with a remarkable modern architecture, nowadays an event venue. The scenic enviremont is also called “Greek Polynesia”.

The church of Panagia Parigoritissa, dedicated to the Annunciation, was built between 1285 and 1289 by the Epirus despot Nikiforos Komninos Doukas and his second wife Anna Palaiologina. It was formerly the katholion (= main church) of the largeStavropegian monastery. It became a dependence of the Kato Panaghia monastery, when it went bankrupt. The church is mentioned for the first time as a convent for nuns 1578. Seen from outside the church is a large, almost cubic three-storey building, which looks like an Italian palace. It is of the octagonal type with a central dome and also four smaller domes on each corner of the church's flat roof. The interior of the church is extremely elegant and lavishly decorated with wall paintings, sculptures (16th century) and an iconostasis, which replaced the original marble one. The nave is square and has no internal supports. The dome - adorned with mosaic depictions of the Pantocrator and the Prophets - rests on eight pilasters, on each of them stand three rows of smaller columns. This kind of architecture most probably has not been used to other Byzantine monuments. This makes the church very fascinating and quite unique. Nowadays Panagia Parigoritissa is a (kind of) museum, where on has to pay a small entrance fee.

The Byzantine Church of Panagia Vlacherna (Virgin Mary Church) is one of the most important Byzantine monuments of the medieval Epirus state. Initially it was dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. The church was initially the catholicon of a women’s monastery. Nowadays it serves at the parish church of the settlement of Vlacherna. The church is built atop a middle-byzantine era basilica (late 9th – early 10th century). The central arch of which consists as an arch of the current church. In the early 13th century the Vlacherna Church was built as three-aisled wooden roof basilica, which a few years later was transformed into the vaulted type with the addition of the domes. In the second half of the 13th century the narthex was added on the west side. The nave has important frescoes from the mid 13th century, while the frescoes in the narthex are from the end of the same century. The marble relief iconostasis is of remarkable craftsmanship.

The one-arch stone Lazaridis Bridge (also known as Kontodimos Bridge) was built in 1753 and named after Kostas Lazaridis, an owner of a mill, located near the bridge. Mr. Tolis Kontodimos from the nearby village of Vradeto donated for the construction of the bridge. The watermill was used by the people of Kipi, Koukouli, Kapesovo and Vradeto in order to grind the wheat. The bridge is located in the gorge of the river Vikos near the village of Kipi and connects the village of Kipi with Koukouli. The arch is 15 meters wide and has a height of 7,80 meters. The walkway has a length of 20 meters and is 2,90 meters wide. The bridge is also known as the “Venice Bridge”.

The church of St. Theodora - the patron saint of Arta - is an important Byzantine church. Originally it was the katholikon of a monastery, where Theodora, the wife of Despot of Epirus Michael II Komnenos Doukas (1236-1271), was buried. The originally church was built - over the ruins of an older structure - in the 11th or 12th century as a three-aisled wooden-roofed basilica. This shape has remained almost unchanged till to this day. Around the year of 1270 Theodora renovated the church by adding the nartex and two pediments of the main church. The open colonnaded exonarthex was added in the lat 13th or early 14th century. Nowadays the Church of St. Theodora is considered being one of Arta’s most important monuments, not only for its morphology but mainly because this church is like a living connection of the present city with its Byzantine past since it is dedicated to its queen, the city’s Saint Theodora.