Monastery of Panagia Spilia, Karditsa

It is located in the Municipality of East Argithea in the Prefecture of Karditsa, at an altitude of 1000 meters above a rocky and steep peak of Agrafa in Pindos and near the Kouburia village. It is about 41 kilometers from Mouzaki and Petrelliotis, a tributary of Acheloos, flows at its base while it is named “Panagia Spilia” from the cave on the rock just below the monastery and where the miraculous icon of Virgin Mary Spilia .

The precipitous and inaccurate location of the monastery scatters the visitor as it approaches the only entrance to the south side of the mountainside. The Monastery of Spilia was designated as a historic listed monument and a site of special natural beauty or interest in architectural or historical interest with the decision. The tradition mentions as founders of the Monastery of Spilia two brothers, Athanasios and Parthenios, monks in the monastery of Ae – Charalambi, who in 1064 in a dream they both saw, the Virgin pointed out to them to build a monastery dedicated to Him. Here at the most inaccessible point they found the icon of the Virgin Mary, where it burned a candle, while a miracle appeared and drinking water, which still flows until today.

The small plate of 1064, which existed, was destroyed by the Turks during the revolution of Agrafa in 1854, where the Headquarters of the Revolutionary Commission had its headquarters due to the natural fortification of the monastery. The present church, built next to the old one, was built in 1736 and is dedicated to the name of Zoodohos Pigi and the founders of this new church are the fathers of Parthenios, Ionas, Gavriil and Ananias, as it appears on an inscription right from the entrance of the temple. Here George Karaiskakis often held war meetings and councils in the Holy Monastery, since his position was of particular strategic importance, while during the revolution of Agrafa, which the Greek government instigated for the liberation of Thessaly, there was a military corps.

In 1837 there was the Revolutionary Government under Alexandris, while the fortifications were preserved up to the monastery. In Monastery today, since 2004, there is a male brotherhood of 6 monks who, with the help of the Archimandrite Nektarios, and with the financial support of all the worshipful pilgrims struggle with zeal for further manning and renovation, assisted by the Holy Metropolis of Thessaly.

In the monastery there are, among other things, holy relics of the following saints: St. Nektarios Pentapoleos, St. Charalambos, St. Kyrillos of  Alexandria, St. Apostolos & Evangelistos Loukas, St. Apostolos Filippou, St. Apostoloi Bartholoma & Barnabas, St. Georgios of Ioannina, St. Panteleimonos, St. Rafael of Lesbos , St. Georgios Trophephoros, St. Dimitrios Myrovatos, St. Lazaros, St. Marini, St. Apostolos Iacovou Brothers, St. Vasilios Megalos, St. Ioannis Chrysostomou, St. Gregorios Theologos, St. Apostolos First-th Andrew and St. Eirinaios Lyon Bishop.