Holy Monastery of Saint Paraskevi of Monodendri (1412 AD)

Historical overview

The Holy Monastery of Agia Paraskevi of Monodendri, although abandoned, without a monastic community, is impressive, as it is located on the edge of the Vikos Gorge, in the Zagori region. More specifically, in one of the most picturesque villages in the area, Monodendri, which was the birthplace of the great national benefactors, the brothers Manthos and Georgios Rizaris. The Monastery is literally on the edge of the cliff of the deepest gorge in the world, with a depth of nearly 1,000 meters. This location takes your breath away, making everyone wonder how human hands managed to create such an impressive stone jewel. The foundation of the monastery is dated back to 1412. According to the inscription above the entrance of the main church, the local leader of Epirus was the Despot Charles I Tocco and it was funded by the local ruler voivode (a title that was held by military and political administrators of provinces in Slavic countries) Michael Therianos. The villagers of Bezhezzeni, as the inhabitants of the area of Vitsa-Monodendri were then called, also contributed to the costs of construction. It is possible that Therianos built the monastery as an act of gratitude for the salvation of his daughter, who suffered from partial blindness in her eyes. She herself, at a young age, settled there, along with the other nuns, and dedicated her life to the Great Martyr Paraskevi, from whom she took her name out of gratitude. According to tradition, it was built by ascetics who, from the 13th century, practiced asceticism in the caves that exist northwest of the monastery. One of these hermits was Saint Andreas (1204), who came from Monodendri and was canonized in the Váltos of Amfilochia. There, persecuted Christians sought refuge during Ottoman times. The width of the path is so narrow that only one person can pass through. These paths were later used by shepherds. These buildings, known as "hermitages", are still preserved today. The visitor, after passing through the main entrance of the monastery, can reach them by climbing a winding spiral path, with a small stone staircase. The ascetics found the image of Saint Paraskevi inside the trunk of a tree, where today is the Holy Table, and kept it on a small lectern. The villagers of Monodendri wanted to move the image to the village to build a church there, but the image after being moved was found again in its original position. This seemed to be the wish of the Saint, to stay in the place where she was first found. The monastery functioned as a women's hermitage for almost all of its life, and intermittently with a male abbot, until the mid-1947, where the last abbot, hieromonk Dimitrios Moustakopoulos, known as Papakrivis, died. From some memory we learn that in the Holy Monastery "only nuns have been living since 1778". In the years that followed since then, many nuns dedicated their lives to the Monastery of Agia Paraskevi, living on the contributions of the faithful and the small monastery's income that came mainly from small agricultural production and a few goats and sheep. They also had beehives, while several nuns wove on the loom. Among the most famous nuns were Marina from Stolobo, Anna Golou from Monodendri, who succeeded Marina, Leni, Pousisio, etc. Finally, the abbot Dimitrios Moustakopoulos, Papakrivis, from Koukouli, who, although he accepted the monastic form at a great age, showed admirable dedication and willingness to maintain the monastery's buildings. Justly, his photograph is in a prominent position, the only one from all the choir of monks, in the room of the Abbot's Office.

Buildings and Surrounding Area

Visitors can reach the monastery by car in half an hour from Ioannina, via a comfortable road that was opened in 1953 after efforts by the Association of Zagoriotes of Athens, with money from a fundraiser that it organized for all Zagoriotes. Access is only possible from the west, as the rock drops vertically and sharply to the east and south. Although the rocky landscape dominates, there is also vegetation, such as oaks, maples, wild chestnut trees, bitter almonds, etc. The famous dandelions and bittercress also grow there.

The Monastery stands out for its construction, as it is entirely made of stone. The harmonious arrangement of the buildings in the monastery complex is also admirable.

Visitors can enter through the main entrance, which is a large gate with a graceful stone arch. On the right and left there are barns and stables. On the right side, the threshing floor stands out, which was built with boulders like a castle and paved with elaborate granite slabs. There the nuns threshed the wheat. During the heyday of the monastery, there were many animals, such as oxen, which were used for plowing and sowing, cows, goats, and even beehives.

On the left side of the inner courtyard, there is a building that was used as a storage for agricultural production but also as a residence for various seasonal workers. Next, we pass through the main entrance to the main Monastery, where there is the veranda, paved with large slabs and above it the beds, a reception room for foreigners with a fireplace and built-in cabinets. Next is the Abbot's House, a well-preserved building from 1849, as evidenced by its inscription. The space below the Abbot's House, on two levels, forms the monastery courtyard. Around it are built the cells that served functional needs. There was the kitchen, the bakery, the oven and the storerooms. Today the granaries and other household utensils are preserved. Next to it was the living room, a small room with a fireplace, which now houses the Monastery Exhibition. Next is the entrance to the Catholic Church.

To the north, there are also other cells and dormitories, mainly with wooden floors and ceilings. To enter them, the visitor must bend down quite a bit, as all the rooms are very low. It is possible that they did not want to cover the view of the gorge or could not compete with the height of the sharp rocks.

In an idyllic setting to the east, among a multitude of trees, the "loggia", the balcony, a separate cell with a protrusion supported only by two stone columns, is built. Because the supports are hidden by the branches, it seems that it is an aerial balcony that literally hangs over the gorge. The cell-balcony served as a hiding place. The nuns took refuge there in times of danger to escape the raids of the unruly Turk-Albanians of Ali Pasha. A trapdoor that descends by a ladder to the basement and from there to a path leading to the gorge, served as an emergency exit.

To the south, there is the outdoor dining room, today's balcony, from where the visitor can admire the panoramic view of the gorge without interruption.

To the north, there were also other auxiliary areas, dormitories and storage rooms, which unfortunately are not preserved today. There was also a room with looms, where the nuns wove woolen clothes, carpets, etc. Finally, a small area near a laurel served as a cemetery. The last abbot, Papakrivis, was buried there. Today, a trisagion is chanted in this place for the souls of the nuns. On the south side of the church, in a dark building that has not yet been further investigated, there is the ossuary, where there are heaps of bones of the nuns who breathed their last in this monastery.

In addition to these buildings, there is a large and a smaller cave that served as a storage space. Large clay vessels were found there for the collection of drinking water and other household utensils.

The Catholic Church of the Monastery and the Paintings

The Catholic Church of the Monastery is divided into the narthex and the main church. The church is a single-aisled basilica, small stone-built with a wooden roof and small windows like skylights that allow daylight to enter. Beautiful frescoes adorn the surfaces of the walls inside the church. They are probably Macedonian School paintings.

The iconostasis does not present any particular interest. It is simple, wooden, newer than the frescoes. On the three large icons of the iconostasis, Christ, the Virgin Mary and the Forerunner, we read the inscription: "Prayer of the servant of God Leontaris Georgios from comi of Monodendri March 1802".

The image of Saint Paraskevi is not on the iconostasis, it is mobile, on a wooden shrine towards the south side of the Temple.

The narthex has a rectangular shape. It is distinguished by the narrow entrance with the heavy wooden door and the stone arched lintel. On the side that joins the main church, there are a few frescoes. The saint Paraskevi is depicted in bust, within a niche, to the left is her martyrdom and to the right is a mounted Saint, probably Saint Demetrius.

According to a research by the Archaeological Service of Byzantine Antiquities, the illustration of the narthex extended to a larger area. Unfortunately, however, some frescoes were damaged due to the practice of covering them with lime and other watercolors, to make the space look freshly painted and clean.

The surfaces of the walls inside the church are covered with frescoes, which are well preserved, after a recent restoration by the Archaeological Service. In the triangle that is formed above the Holy Table, the Ascension is painted and on the right and left the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. In the apse of the Sanctuary, where the Holy Table is built, a wonderful scene is preserved with the Virgin Mary and below the four Hierarchs: M. Basil, John Chrysostom, Gregory the Theologian and M. Athanasius. In between, the Holy Table with the sacred vessels of the Holy Eucharist is depicted.

Other frescoes depict the "Descent into Hell of the Lord", the Crucifixion, the Burial and the Resurrection. The painting art is ubiquitous. Even at the base below the Holy Table there are various artistic decorations of flowers, birds, geometric shapes and harmonious compositions.

On the north wall there is a fresco (founder's representation) of the donor local ruler Therianos, his wife Theodora and their children, their son George and their young daughter. The position and size of the fresco, the hierarchy, the clothing and the hairstyle of all the people depicted in it, are revealing of the mentality and customs of the time and the region. The clothes are luxurious, with richly embroidered fabrics, wide braids and tassels. The wife of the benefactor, Theodora, wears a white scarf on her head, which is wrapped around her neck. It is characteristic of the artist's attempt to render the non-sanctity of these persons with the fiery wash (orange color) on the flesh, which indicates the flame of the unextinguished passions.

The fresco is complemented by scenes from the life of Christ in the upper part, and below full-length figures of the saints Theodore the Stratelates and Theodore the Tiro, Saint George, Saint Demetrius and finally the Holy Forerunner.

The frescoes on the south wall are dated from the relevant inscription around 1689. It seems that the church had been partially destroyed, resulting in the need to rebuild the south wall. The frescoes on the south side are also well preserved. They include scenes from the twelve feasts (Nativity, Presentation, Baptism, Transfiguration, Resurrection of Lazarus). Below are depicted full-length figures of Saint Paraskevi, Saint Procopius, and Saints Nestor, Menas, James the Persian, Panteleimon, Cosmas and Damian, Constantine and Helen, Euthymius and Anthony.

Between the figures of the two last Saints, an interesting inscription survives that mentions the painting:

"ANAKAINONISTHE H PAROUSIA ISTORIDIA DIA SYNDRONMIS MATTHEOU K AI ANISTORITHE DIA SYNDRONMIS MATTHEOU, IEROMONACHO K KYRILLOU IEROMONACHO EN ETEI,AXPHΘ΄" (1689).

Above the entrance to the main Church inside is a remarkable composition of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, where in a harmonious arrangement around her coffin, the Apostles with their mournful expression on their faces, mourn the mother of the Lord. On the right and left are depicted the archangels Gabriel and Michael.

Relics that have been preserved from the Monastery

• A metal reliquary with the engraved inscription "1849 JUNE 7 SAINT TROPHONIUS RELICS OF SAINT PARASKEVI OF KOMI OF MONODENDRIU BY EXPENSES OF THE MONKS."
• A small-sized image of Christ (Pantocrator) with the date "1733".
• A large-sized image of Saint Charalambos (51x40), portable, with the inscription: "by the hand of Dimitrios Papadiamantis 1800".
• A Holy Gospel with a thick wooden cover covered with red felt, published by Nikolaos Sarrou (CON CICENZA).
• A portable wooden triptych, dated 1814.
• An antimension dated 1868 with the inscription: "ARCHBISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE NEW ROME FROM PATRIARCHATE IN YEAR ,aωξη΄ IN MONTH MAY".
• Old books (Menaions, Parakletike, Triodio, etc.) published in Venice and Trieste, dating from the year 1652 and later.
• "BOOK OF THE MONTH OF MAY CON PRIVILEGIO PRINTED by Ioan. Petro tou Pimmellou ENETIISIN YEAR from of Theognosia 1652".
• In another monthly book, published in 1779, under a handwritten ode of Saint Tryphon, it is written: "The present was written in the year 1864 by the hand of Zacharias, the hieromonk of Zitsa, who paid for the priest of Saint Paraskevi in Manadendri."

The patron saint, Saint Paraskevi

According to a tradition, once Ali Pasha wanted to destroy the monastery because Christians from the surrounding villages were hiding there. But when he approached the monastery, a heavy storm broke out. The echo of the thunder in the Vikos Gorge was so loud that the Turks fled. Saint Paraskevi performed a miracle! That is why from very old times she was considered the protector of the area and many residents fled to her for mercy and to heal them from serious illnesses. There were many who stayed overnight in the church of Saint Paraskevi and the priest made them worship her image and the reliquary, where the bones of Saint Tryphon were kept. When someone fell ill seriously in the village and could not go himself, they brought the icon of the Saint to his house, covered with a silk scarf, and placed it on his head. In this way, many were healed. It is said that, if they felt it heavier than its actual weight during transportation, the outcome of the illness would not be good.

The monastery today

The grace of Saint Paraskevi is abundant. That is why on the memory of the Saint on July 26, many faithful from all over the world come to worship her. Almost all the immovable property of the Monastery and the effort of its restoration come from donations and vows. On the eve of the feast, a Penitential Vespers, the Paraklesis Canon of the Saint with Artoklasia is sung and the icon is carried around. The next day, a Divine Liturgy and a Blessing are held.

Handmade icons "The Scytala"

For 20 years, the Holy Monastery of Saint Paraskevi of Vikos has housed and operated a modern "shelter" for the livelihood of young people from poverty and deprivation. It is a group of at least 25 people from all over Greece, visual artists and students of the Fine Arts School of Ioannina, which was created with the aim of offering to the whole world, regardless of financial background, the opportunity to acquire unique handmade icons, relics and special works of culture at very affordable prices. All the works are handmade, painted on immortal beech wood, with quality colors and luxurious gilding. This effort is called "Scytala", from the shape of the depiction of the works of this group and symbolizes the baton of faith that hopes to pass on and proclaim the Orthodox Faith hand in hand to the next generations.

This godly social work was made flesh by the priest and iconographer Elias Chrysospathis, parish priest of Monodendri. He argues that "the greatest blessing of these works is that they are made with the deposit of the souls of these young people and the freshness of their youth, seeking to rebuild a Greece where the symbols of our existential orientation, will again be the indelible faces of our Saints! So, the effort and goal of these children would say that it is a second "restoration of the images" in our lives from the decline of standardization - "typolatry". Works that are heirlooms that are timeless to the recipients of the centuries and not just lifeless photocopie