Baptist Monastery (Moni Prodromou)
Baptist Monastery (Moni Prodromou)
The Baptist Monastery (Moni Prodromou) is built on the root of a cliff on the left side of the ravine of Lousios, near the villages of Stemnitsa and Dimitsana. The landscape is impressive and reminiscent of Meteora and Mega Spilaio.
The church of St. John the Baptist is a single-domed basilica and decorated with remarkable frescoes. Murals also exist outside the church magnetizing the look of every visitor. This monastery became a priory monastery probably in the 16th century. However by the 12th century flourished many important hermitages at that place, with most know, that of John the Baptist. During the Turkish occupation (16th cent.) the hermitages were combined and the monastery was founded.
During the revolution of 1821, the monastery became a refuge and hospital for the fighters. In 1834 the monastery closed due to a decree, which dissolved the monasteries which had less than 7 monks. However, in 1838, the monastery was repopulated and it flourished in both physical and mental aspects.
Workshops for painting and sewing sacred garments operate in the monastery today and there is also a remarkable collection of about 1000 books. The Baptist Monastery of, is continuing the old traditions and exist as a religious and cultural center of the region. The number of visitors who flock each year is huge, because apart from the spiritual uplift, the monastery is built in a landscape of indescribable beauty, on towering cliffs, inside lush vegetation and under the sound of the waters of Lucius River.
