Religious

Malevis Monastery

It is one of the best-known and famous monasteries of Arcadia. The icon of the Virgin Mary – which dates from 1360 – is considered miraculous and every year thousands of pilgrims visit the Monastery – many of them are the visitors of the villages of Kastri that light a candle to the woman monastery, that is located 950m above sea level and is surrounded by the famous cedar forest-a preservable monument of nature, that is unique in the area. The monastery is 44km far from Tripolis and 30km from Astros and its first establishment was the 14th century, whereas the new monastery was built in 1616. The help of the monastery during the Struggle of 1821 was priceless. After its disaster from the Turkish was rebuilt between 1802-1805 and there Agios Neilos-his real name was Nikolaos Terzakis – became a monk before he left for Mount Athos. The main church of the monastery is small, domed and cruciform as in the ground of the monastery a temple of Virgin Mary and a small church of Agios Neilos have been built. The monastery offers guest rooms and other helping spaces.

Loukous Monastery

The most accessible to the visitor monastery of Arcadia. Just 4km before the inland Astros and 7km from the coastal Astros. It is built on the valley of Tanos, on the ruins of Ancient Eva, one of the most important villages of Thyrea. It is surrounded by the mountains of Zavitsa, Paleopanagia, and Elliniko. The most possible etymology of the name of the monastery is from the Latin word Lucus, which means Holy Forest. According to the historic and archaeological elements the monastery has been built on an old -Christian church and on the walls of the main church we can see ancient bas-reliefs and architraves. There, you can see a  duct of Roman Times and the monastery is considered to be a combination of greek and Christian culture. For those who love walking, from the ground of the monastery starts the path to the ancient Elliniko or Tihio.

Agios Nikolaos Karyas Monastery

Agios Nikolaos Karyas, the monastic heart of Kynouria, in the province’s very center, is a typical fortified Post-Byzantine Peloponnesian monastery. It is located 2-3 kilometers beyond the Artokosta Monastery, on the road to Prastos, 879 metres above sea level, between two heights, the medieval castles of Oriontas and Paliochora.

The names Prasies, Brasies, Prasioi Topoi, Oreioi, Tyros, Apollo Tyrites, all ancient epithets and modern toponyms related to Baskina and Paliochora, provide evidence for the existence of ancient Laconian cities and their connection to the medieval historical reality. Now located on the coast, Tyros was originally a thriving settlement, the closest to the Karya monastery, opposite Paliochora. Among the old churches preserved at old Tyros is a dependency of the Karya monastery. Within the monastery, the current church of Saint Nicholas was built over an earlier church, of which parts of walls with traces of wall paintings are preserved.

Below Karakovouni is the monastery’s cemetery and its church of the Dormition of the Virgin. The church, which was probably reconstructed in recent times, is identified as the katholikon (main church) of the now-defunct mid-eighteenth-century monastery of Karakovouni. It is a relatively large church of the cross-in-square type, with an octagonal dome, a three-sided apse, and a belfry. The roofing is old, combining schist plaques and ceramic tiles.

Artokostas Monastery

The Monastery belongs to the community of Prastos and to the Holy Metropolitan Bishopric of Mantinia and Kynouria, as during the Medieval times belonged to the Metropolitan Bishopric of Monemvasia. There are two monasteries dedicated to Virgin Mary. The women’s monastery, which is the Monastery of Arthokostas or Orthokostas ad the first one the Byzantine.

Among the possibilities of the name of the Monastery, there is one that claims that comes from the local name “escorta or Scorta” that refers to Morias. Today the name Orthocosta is used.

The Monastery was destroyed and remained with no monks, because of the dramatic facts of the conquest of Peloponnisos, already since 1460.

During the liberation, the monasteries of Tsakonia, that were close to the rebellion centers (Prastos, Tyros, Sitaina, Leonidio)participated in the pro-rebellion but the rebellion preparation about the Greek Nation, as well. As a matter of fact, the abbot Joseph Kanestras had armed 50 fighters and funded them with expenses of the monastery. In 1982 the monastery became a women’s one.

The traditional square shape of the monastery is surrounded by a protective wall. It is formed of two-story and ground floor buildings with a roofed verandah all around, as in the center there is the main church. The eastern entrance leads to the yard, through the transient.

It is at a distance of 12km from Agios Andrea,52km from Leonidio and 21km from Astros. The northern side is towards the stream of Vrasiati, as the others are surrounded by greenery.

Sintzas Monastery

The Monastery of Sintza was founded before 1622, which is evidenced by documents of the time.

The monastery is located NW of Leonidio and is accessible by car.

The name Sintza is supposed to be the tsakonic pronunciation of the word fig tree, a fig tree, that is, on a rock, which does not seem strange if one considers the location of the monastery, which was once only accessible on foot.

Panagias Elonas Monastery

The monastery is 17 km away from Leonidio, on the road to Kosmas.

The creators and first monks of the monastery were Kallinikos and Dositheos, who were slaughtered by the Turks.

Due to the prosperity of the monastery, the Ecumenical Patriarchate declared it Patriarchal and Stavropegiak and received privileges and tributes as well as the obligation to pay tax every year to the Patriarchate.

In 1809, on the old church was built the present church, a simple rectangular, without a dome, celebrating the Assumption.

It has no hagiographies, but its carved, walnut iconostasis is a jewel.

Icons of the icon are works of art by renowned painters.