English
The village is built at an altitude of 840m, on a densely forested slope of Mount Kleftis and at a distance of 21.6 km from Konitsa and 4.4 km from the highway. This is the central village and until 1926 the two neighboring villages of Ganadio and Monastiri used to belong to it. It is said that initially all three villages were united in a settlement called Molista. Today all three villages have few inhabitants, most of whom are retired.
In Molista, the church of Agios Nikolaos, in the center of the village (built in 1864, with the personal work of the inhabitants) is remarkable. It has an ornate winged altarpiece (a work of tagliators from Metsovo) which will impress you.Τhe tall bell tower near the old oak tree and the beautiful porch of the church complete the beautiful image of the square. In picturesque locations (in and around the village) they are built the beautiful chapels of: Agia Paraskevi, Agia Varvara, Agios Dimitrios, Agios Charalambos, Agios Georgios, Agios Minas, Agioi Apostoloi, Panagia Gkogkou, Ai – Lias, Agios Theodoros, the Transfiguration of the Savior and the Holy Trinity.
Most of the inhabitants of Molista were farmers, stockbreeders and mainly craftsmen (stone builders, potters, plasterers or carpenters). In the last century, some famous herds of Molista belonged to Vassilios Harissiadis and Athanasios Serifis. Many of the village men were also well-known merchants in Bucharest and Cairo.
The houses of Molista were built in a fortress style with mansions that compete with each other in beauty, but there are also simple houses with joined roofs. The simplest type of house is the rectangular one. The house consists of two floors, the lower (for animals, cellar and basement) and the upper (beds, bedroom and living room). There used to be two mills in the village.
In Molista there are countless cool springs with crystal clear water. The richest and most picturesque is the fountain of Agios Nikolaos which is located at the edge of the churchyard under the centuries-old oak trees. Other springs are found in the places of: Letsiades, Giougiades, Tzouadiko, Kallimanou, Desis, Siopito and Pigadouli.
From the top of the smooth hill “Tziandora”, on the way to Gannadio village you can admire: Molista, the valley of Sarandaporos river, the ridges of Grammos and the densely forested mountain Kleftis.
In the village square (on the first Saturday after the 15th of August) there is a revival of the famous festivities with traditional dances and songs. In the past, it was customary for the girls of the village to offer voluntary work ,two or three times a year, in the “Vakoufika” estates. The day ended with a party in the village square. Another interesting event in Molista was the custom of saving oil for the needs of the church on the day of the Epiphany with the auction of the cross and the icon.
The festivities in Molista are divided into three categories: “Esperides” (appetizers and wine that the host had), “Ziafetia” (held in the countryside) and the folk dances with the participation of all the inhabitants of the village (Carnival, Monday of Lent, Easter, Christmas, 1st of May). The names of some local dances are: Rovas, Kleftes, Papadia, Berati, Alexandra, Diplos, Daliana and Palamakia. The “Molista” Association is based in the village. Molista has a traditional hotel that also offers fine food.
