The Monastery of Pateros, which is dedicated to the Dormition of the Virgin, is located near the village of Lithino, at a distance of 5 km west of Zitsa. According to testimonies, the Monastery was originally founded on the left bank of Kalamas, in the place where the chapel of Ag. Athanasiou, then it was transferred to the opposite bank near Theogephyro, in the place of the church of Ag. Nikolaou. The Monastery was probably founded in the 16th a. and its current form is the result of various interventions. It is surrounded by two precincts with a strong fortress character which are preserved today in a ruined state.
Access to the Monastery is from the west side. The entrance is formed by an arched frame. The two-story, dilapidated cell complexes and outbuildings were built in different periods. The cells of the western wing were built in 1848, according to an inscription, while the southern complex is considered older. The bell tower is located east of the Catholicon and was built in 1850. The Catholicon was probably built in 1590, according to an inscription on the south wall of the church. In terms of its architectural type, it is a cruciform tetragonal inscribed temple with lateral choirs. The narthex is united with the main church, while there is also a later external narthex.
Inside the temple, the frescoes are preserved in very good condition. In 1631 the dome of the catholicon was painted and probably the same year or a little later the painting of the rest of the church was completed. In 1676, the arch and probably the roof were repaired by "Mr. Leontaris", according to an engraving.
The wood-carved iconostasis is gilded and dates back to the 17th century. The apostolic paintings were painted in 1680 by the Zitsian painter Dimitrios during the abbotship of Philotheu. Most of the despotic icons are works of 1857. Older important icons of the Monastery are kept today in the chapel of the Metropolitan Palace. At a short distance there is a hill with caves that were used as a hermitage. After 1910 the monastery was dissolved and the cells slowly collapsed.
Editor: Fotini Anastasopoulou
