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Monastery of Agia Paraskevi of Vachlia

COUNTY: Arcadia MUNICIPALITY: Gortynos

Clear
18.03ºC

Type

Nunnery

TL;DR

One of the most beautiful monasteries of Peloponnese, rebuilt recently after a fire, with a huge feast every 26th of July.

The Monastery of Agia Paraskevi of Vachlia was founded in the middle of the 16th century. Its built on an altitude of 1,045 metres, on the eastern side of the Afrodisio mountain, north of the Vachlia village. The monastery is 65 kilometres from Tripoli and is one of the most beautiful monasteries of Peloponnese, designated as a preserved monument.

The complex has a square shape, and is comprised of the single-aisle church, a lobby, the kitchen and five cells; in the centre of the complex is an atrium, covered by a roof. It has the look of a fortress, since it has walls with battlements. From the monastery’s founding up to 1955, it changed its role from monastery to nunnery and back several times.

The Monastery of Agia Paraskevi of Vachlia, as with most of the monasteries of Greece, had an important role during the Greek Revolution of 1821, serving as a refuge for the rebels. In the 30th of December, 1955, a fire burned four cells and parts of other buildings, and caused the tragic death of the nun called Parthenia, who burned alive. Immediately after, donations and help from the government, allowed rebuilding to begin.

Every year, in the 26th of July a huge feast is organised at the monastery, attracting crowds of believers and tourists.