Monastery of John the Baptist, Lousios
The Monastery of Prodromos is built at the base of a steep cliff on the left side of the Lousios gorge, near the beautiful villages of Stemnitsa and Dimitsana. The landscape is imposing and reminds Meteora and Mega Cave.
The temple of Saint John the Baptist is a one-aisled vaulted basilica and is adorned with remarkable hagiographies. Frescoes there are also outside the temple, magnetizing the gaze of every visitor. This monastery, as a commune monastery was probably built in the middle of the 16th century but since the 12th century many hermitages were prospering in the area with the most important this of Timios Prodromos. During the Ottoman domination (16th century) these hermitages were united constituting the Monastery. From the beginning of its foundation, it became a Stavropegic Monastery (a monastery subordinated directly to a Patriarch or Synod).
During the Revolution of 1821 the monastery was a shelter and a hospital for warriors. In 1834 the monastery was dissolved due to a decree about the dissolution of monasteries which have less than 7 monks. In 1838, however, the monastery was reconstructed and experienced great physical and spiritual prosperity.
Today in the monastery is operating a workshop of painting and sewing church clothing and there is a remarkable collection of about 1,000 books. The monastery of Prodromos, continuing the old traditions, forms a religious and spiritual center of the region. The number of visitors that flock every year is enormous, because apart from the spiritual uplifting that the monastery offers, it is built in a landscape of indescribable beauty, on imposing rocks, in lush vegetation and under the sound of the waters of river Lousios.
