Near the settlement of Apolpaina in the Municipality of Lefkada, at an altitude of 70 m, is the Monastery of the Virgin of Odigetria. It was founded (or renovated) by Eleni Paleologina around 1449 - 1450. However, it is said that the Monastery dates much earlier, in the 11th century. Eleni Palaiologina, daughter of Thomas Palaiologos (lord of Moria) and wife of Lazarus Vuković (lord of Serbia), lived at the end of her life as a nun with the name "Patience" and was buried in the monastery of Agia Mavra (1473). In the 18th century the wood-carved iconostasis of the temple was created. Today the Odigetria Monastery is broken up and abandoned. Distinct from the monastic complex are the built enclosure with the stone vaulted entrance on the southeast side and 3 stone buildings (cells, auxiliary spaces). The church of Panagia is also preserved in good condition, single-aisled basilica with a wooden roof, which is not open to the public. Inside, on the east and south walls, there were frescoes (covered with lime until 1953) that combine Palaeologian painting with Western style. The fragments of frescoes were removed from the wall in 1970 and are currently kept in the Byzantine & Christian Museum of Athens.
Editor: Niki Kalopaidis