Church of Saint Paraskevi in Metsovo

The first renovation of the Holy Church of Saint Paraskevi of Metsovo took place in 1511. Of course, the church of Agia Paraskevi is older. And only the mention of 1380 AD in the anonymous chronicle of Ioannina for the hieromonk Isaiah as a profane Metsovo, confirms that Saint Paraskevi was originally a Monastery and Isaiah the Patriarch. It’s rare that a church has as much historical weight as the church of Saint Paraskevi of Metsovo, which was and constitutes for the Metsovites the axis of rotation of their religious, national and cultural life. The commissaries of Agia Paraskevi were always the successors of Metsovo, since all the documents, the confessions of Metsovo, as well as the property of the village and all administrative documents concerning the commune of Metsovo were kept in her “bay”. The church of Agia Paraskevi, apart from its spiritual and cult character, is also a brilliant cultural monument that impresses visitors. Of great artistic value is the temple of the church, which was painted by Metsovites wood-sculptors in 1730. The carvings of the iconostasis represent various episodes from the Old and New Testament as well as various decorative elements. The twenty-two icons of the upper zone of the iconostasis are the faculty of the NT. Greece and belong chronologically between 1700-1730. The ten splendid images of the lower section are Russian and are placed between 1820 and 1840. They are tribute to Metsovits established in Russia.