Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: Ευρυτανία

The Holy Church of the Virgin Mary (Ιερός Ναός της Παναγίας) is one of the five large churches in the the town of Karpenisi. The Virgin Mary Church was the cathedral during the Turkish occupation. In July 1821 all churches were destroyed and/or burned down. After the burning of the churches and the whole town of Karpenisi by the Turks in 1821, the people began to settle down again. Their primary goal was to rebuild their churches and school. Each parish was interested in its own hurch and was doing an enviable activity. The present Holy Church of the Virgin Mary was built in 1910 and it is the fourth time that the church has been built on the same site.

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 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.