The Monastery of Saints Anargyros Cosmas and Damianos is located in the village of Melissotopos, 26 km from Kastoria, at an altitude of 870 m, and is the oldest Monastery of the Prefecture. The first Monastery, dedicated to Saint Panteleimon, was founded at the time of Alexios I Comnenus (1080). In 1457, the Monastery was reconstituted and dedicated to Saints Anargyros. After the destruction of the monastery in 1734 by Turkalvan raids, it was rebuilt in 1754 by the monk Gerasimos (from Sifnos). At the end of 1774, Kosmas Etolos was hosted here as evidenced by a marble inscription in the courtyard. In 1858, the new Church of the Saints was erected, a three-aisled, wooden-roofed basilica - with stone and marble reliefs - and a wood-carved iconostasis with images from 1763. The monastery flourished in the 19th century, it maintained an important library of unique manuscripts and books until 1947 (Civil War era) when it was destroyed by fire. In 1987, the Monastery expanded with the construction of numerous chapels and buildings. At the entrance to the monastery area, 2 two-story stone turrets are raised that lead to a large enclosure around which are arranged various buildings, such as cells and hostels, as well as the canopy of the holy sanctification of the Virgin Mary. To the right of the inner courtyard can be seen the mansion and the stone temple (basilica with a dome) of Zoodochos Pigi. In the south wing of the monastery is located the church of Agios Nektarios (in a tile shade), who was an ascetic in the Monastery after 1460. The new library, which has been operating since 2001, is considered one of the largest in Western Macedonia in terms of theological books and print archives.
Editor: Niki Kalopaidis
