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RELIGIOUS SITES
Holy Monastery of Panagia Sepetou
Just below the acropolis of Ancient Alifeira, built into the steep rock above the River Tritonas, stands the impressive Monastery of the Dormition of the Virgin, known as Sepetou Monastery. It is 68 kilometers from our rooms for rent in Agios Ilias.
It is said that a secret school operated here under the Turkish Occupation so that the children could be taught to read and write Greek.
Also, several leaders of the Greek Revolution passed through here, taking their oath and organizing their activities.
Inside the spacious church, the miraculous icon of Panagia Sepetiotissa, which is considered the work of Luke the Evangelist, has pride of position, while there are other notable icons also decorating the gilded wood-carved iconostasis. The monastery is home to nuns and on August 23 every year it celebrates its saints day.
Holy Monastery of Panagia Kremastis
The imposing Holy Monastery of Panagia Kremastis is set in a stunning location in the beautiful pine-covered ravine between the villages of Lanthi and Lambeti. It is on a steep rock with a magnificent view of Foloi forest of and Mount Erymanthos. It is 20 kilometers from Sea Villas Apartments.
It owes its name (Kremasti means hanging in Greek) partly to the story that an icon of the Virgin Mary was found floating inside a cave by a shepherd who had descended using a rope, and partly to the fact that the monastery itself seems to be hanging from the rock. It was a meeting place for the local chieftains and a refuge for the inhabitants of the area. It also made a great contribution to Greek education, and according to tradition there was a hidden school here during the Turkish Occupation where children were taught to read and write in Greek.
The chapels of Agios Nektarios and Saint Anthony the Great are part of the monastery, and there is a guest house where visitors can stay. Many pilgrims visit here throughout the year, with the most arriving around August 23 when the monastery celebrates its saints day and thousands of pilgrims flock to worship the Virgin Mary.
Holy Monastery of Skafidias
The imposing Holy Monastery of Skafidias is only 6 kilometers from our apartments, in the idyllic landscape next to the mouth of the river Iardanos and the bright blue sea at Skafidia.
It is dedicated to the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. There are various stories about its name; some connect it to ancient Pheia, some to its location which looks like a skafidi (kneeding trough), some to the local craftsmen who made kneading troughs and some to the finding of a now lost icon of the Virgin Mary, in a basin (skafi) in the sea.
The monastery is the oldest in Ilia, as it dates back to at least the 12th century. From a distance, the monastery complex resembles a medieval fortress, although it has been altered over the years with many repairs and conversions.
The monastery has an important archive, library and museum with many relics. It is home to nuns, and celebrates its saints day on August 15.
