Monastiri

The picturesque Monastiri (altitude 950 m) is 21.5 km away from Konitsa. It is a small village which until recently was a settlement of the Molista village. It is built at the southwestern end of Mount Kleftis in a dense vegetation of oak trees, dogwoods, wild pear trees, etc. At a short distance from the village is the Monastery of the Entry of the Virgin (Molista Monastery) and it is where the village got its new name from.

It is a village “drowned” in vegetation, with cobbled streets and stone houses that has been characterized, along with the adjacent villages, as a traditional settlement.

Its inhabitants are now very few in winter, while in summer they increase to about 100 and the village acquires a more holiday character. The few inhabitants of the village (now retired) have as their only occupation the cultivation of their garden and their vineyards for the production of tsipouro and wine.

Many springs are located on the borders of the settlement such as Pigadi, Draziou, in the north there is the spring of Giogkos (next to the church of the Nativity of the Virgin) and the spring of Platonas in the east. From the borders of the settlement begins the Tsoubani forest and reaches the top of mountain Kleftis, covering an area of ​​150,000 acres which consists of black pines and firs.

The parish church of Agios Athanasios (1927) is a single-aisle basilica with a two-aisled roof and an additional peristyle portico. In the area there are several churches, such as Agioi Theodoroi, Agioi Taxiarches, Profitis Elias, Genesis Theotokou and Agios Charalambos.

On the 5th and 6th of August (the day of the celebration of the Transfiguration of the Savior) a festival with traditional dances is held in the village square. It is preceded by the custom of the Auction of the Cross, the claim of which depends on the amount of oil that everyone will offer. The Brotherhood of “Monastiriotes” is based in the village and takes care of: the preservation of customs and tradition, the organization of events and the financial support of various projects.