KAVASILA

Kavasila is built on a hilly area full of arbutus (local trees). It is 12 km northwest of Konitsa and 73 km North-Northwest of Ioannina. The village is located south of the river Sarantaporos, towards the borders between Greece and Albania and near the national way of Kozani- Ioannina. Kavasila is included in the Mastorochoria villages.
According to tradition, the name of the village Kavasila comes from Alexios Kavasilas. He was a byzantine general, member of a famous family in Epirus who lived in the 14th century.
The Thermal Baths of Kavasila are located 6 km from the village and are an attraction to the local people and tourists as well. The Thermal Baths are considered to be therapeutic for rheumatic, dermal, orthopedic and gynecological diseases. These baths are also renowned to be curative for a number of respiratory problems (such as asthma, bronchitis, rhinitis, etc.). In addition, this water has therapeutic qualities for the digestive system, liver, bile and kidneys. The Thermal Baths are open from 1st of June to 30th of September.
After visiting the Thermal Baths and at a distance of 2 km away, you can visit the monastery of Virgin Mary of Kavasila which was built in 1816. The Monastery is dedicated to the Birthday of the Virgin Mary. The temple and the precinct of the monastery are preserved. You will be impressed by the built iconostasis, which is decorated with frescoes by painters from Chionades village (1864).
You can also visit the “Sarantaporos Gorge’ which is a gorge of the homonymous river and it lies between the villages of Kavasila – Exohi – Pixaria. Its vertical walls, whose height sometimes exceeds 150 meters, the riparian Mediterranean vegetation as well as their length that reaches almost 1 km will impress you.
There are two associations in the village, “Exoraistikos” and the Cultural Association. Every year, these two associations organize the two traditional festivals of the village that take place on the day of “Zoodochos Pigi” and on September 8th, the day of the Virgin Mary.