The Dormition Monastery is located in Molyvdoskepasto, near the Greek-Albanian border, at the confluence of Aoos and Sarantaporos. The monastery got its name from the lead sheets that covered the roof of the church. Today, the monastery maintains its imposing fortress appearance, with high walls that surround the renovated cells, the catholicon, two independent bell towers and a nice little garden.
The monastery's catholicon, dedicated to the Dormition of the Virgin, dates back to the beginning of the 14th century. and it is built in a rather complex type: on the east side the temple is a triconch with a very high dome (about 15 meters) and on the west a single-chamber cross roof. The open narthex of the catholicon is separated from the main church by a thick oak door with carved images from the Holy Bible. Tradition states that the Monastery was built in the 7th century. by Konstantinos Pogonatos (671-672 AD). According to the 1537 inscription above the western entrance, it was renovated in the middle of the 14th century. (from the Byzantine emperor Andronikos Komnenos).
The interior of the catholicon is decorated with frescoes, which according to the inscriptions on them, appear to have been painted in the 16th century. and specifically in 1522 and 1537. Under the frescoes of the 16th c. and in the places where these have been detached, an older layer of iconography of the church dating back to the 14th century can be seen. The most important relics of the Monastery are the wooden iconostasis, some portable icons and above all the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary and Christ the Almighty. The Monastery of Molyvdoskepasto, during its long history, suffered many lootings and destructions, so today, from its once rich library, only the Gospel of the 16th century is saved. with silver lining, which is kept in the 8th Tax Office of Byzantine Antiquities.
Editor: Fotini Anastasopoulou
