Monastery of Makelaria description and photos - Greece: Kalavryta (Topic)

Monastery of Makelaria description and photos - Greece: Kalavryta. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The name in English is Monastery of Makelaria.

Photo and description

Among the attractions of the Greek city of Kalavryta and its surroundings, the Makelaria Monastery deserves special attention. It is located about 30 km from Kalavrita, on the right bank of the Selinuntas River, next to the village of Lapanagoi, on the top of a steep picturesque cliff and offers its guests fantastic panoramic views and an incredibly relaxing atmosphere of peace and quiet.

Makelaria Monastery is one of the oldest Orthodox shrines in Greece. It was founded in 532 by the decree of the talented military leader of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I Belisarius, who thus tried to atone for the brutal suppression of the infamous Nika uprising in Istanbul (the largest riot in the history of Constantinople and Byzantium). Initially, the holy abode was called the "Monastery of the Virgin Mary of Litostrotiotis" (probably because of its location on the top of a cliff). The monastery received its modern name already in the second half of the 15th century after the brutal massacre carried out by the Turks in 1458.

The main catholicon of the monastery is the Church of the Holy Trinity, made in the Byzantine style. On the luxurious wooden iconostasis, you will see the main relic of the monastery and a wonderful example of Byzantine art - the miraculous icon of the Mother of God. They say that this icon has a very original feature: wherever you are in the temple, it seems that the Mother of God is watching you. There is a small church of the Assumption next to the Catholicon,

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Topic: Monastery of Makelaria description and photos - Greece: Kalavryta.