By Nicolas Bard

Just outside the Prousabout 31 kilometers south of Karpenisi, in a rocky area overgrown with fir trees, is built the Holy Monastery of Prousos, which is the largest spiritual and pilgrimage center of all Central Greece. The monastery is dedicated to Our Lady and celebrates on August 23.

Daily pilgrims from all over Greece and the world arrive at the monastery to pray and seek the valuable help of the Virgin Mary. The place there emits a special energy, which you will feel from the first minutes. The name of the monastery is due to the miraculous icon of Panagia Prousiotissa.

According to tradition, this icon comes from the Bursa of Asia Minor and is believed to be the work of Evangelist Luke. That is, it counts for more than 2,000 years of life! The icon of the Virgin Mary was in a temple of Bursa, but fearing that it would be destroyed, according to the decree of the iconostasis Emperor of Byzantium Theophilus (829-842), escorted to Central Greece. The “refuge” of the image, which is today’s location of the monastery, was associated with many miracles that occurred there, but also during its transport. The Archontopoulos who carried her, along with a servant,
They decided to establish a monastery at this point, as they found that it was impossible to move the picture from there. In fact, they themselves became the first monks, under the names Dionysios and Timothy.

A few years before the 1821 nomination was sent to the monastery as the abbot, the Mount Athos Spiritual Cyril Belt. He was a member of the Friendly Society and the pretext was to correct his supposed spiritual and moral decline. Without wasting time, and by plan, he organized and operated the “School of Greek Letters” (1818-1828). The monastery was a center of political guidance of the liberation struggle, and played a crucial role in the whole management of the siege of Messolonghi, but also in the salvation of many after the devastation of “exit”. Still, throughout the race
It functioned as a clinic and a recipient of wounded.

THE Karaiskakis He had his headquarters in the monastery. In fact, he donated the silver cover of the image, in a sign of gratitude for the fever that plagued him for many days and healed during his stay in the monastery. Today, in the monastery’s vessel are the weapons of Karaiskakis, as well as sacred vestments, silver and gold chalice, handwritten codes and printed books.

The Holy Monastery of Prousos is one of the few surviving monasteries in Evritania. The monastery’s cathedral is cruciform with a dome. To the west, at the root of the rock, there is a crypt in a chapel. The surviving frescoes we see today were crafted around 1785. Inside the crypt are preserved on the outer side frescoes of the 13th century, while inside there are two layers, one of which dates to 1518. Very remarkable is the wood -carved iconostasis of the crypt, dating from 1810.

Outside the monastery you will notice two castles left and right. They are the so -called “Karaiskakis Towers”. There is also a one Saints’ chapelbuilt in 1754. Finally, the building that housed the “School of Greek Letters” housed during the Turkish occupation is fully restored. Before leaving there, look for the “presses” of Our Lady, in the “print” position. These are geological formations that look like fingerprints. Tradition says that these are traces (footsteps) left by the Virgin Mary when he came from Bursa.