Holy Monastery of the Dormition of the Theotokos Makellarias

Perched on the right bank of the Selinountas River, near the village of Lapanagoi and just 30 km from Kalavryta, Makellaria Monastery is dedicated to the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. It was founded in 532 AD by General Belisarius to atone for the Nika Riots in Constantinople.

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The monastery’s cross-shaped Byzantine church, with its beautifully carved wooden iconostasis, houses the miraculous icon of the Virgin, said to follow each visitor with her gaze. Destroyed by the Turks in 1458, the monastery was rebuilt at a lower site and preserves treasures such as the miraculous icon, a clay jar of holy oil, weapons and uniforms of the 1821 Greek fighters, and Byzantine and post-Byzantine relics.

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A short winding path leads to the small Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior, built in a cave below the monastery, with a spring of holy water flowing year-round. Makellaria Monastery is a place where history, spirituality, and heroism converge, captivating all who visit.