Kalavrita "Holy Places"

Kalavrita, a beautiful mountain village in the northern part of the Peloponnese. The Kalavrita and monasteries Mega Spileon (Great Cave) and Agia Lavra (Holy Lavra) played a huge role in the liberation of Greece from the Turkish yoke and German invaders in World War II. In the monastery "Mega Spileon" is kept the famous icon of the Mother of God made by St. Luke (there are only three such icons in the world). After the fires, the icon made of wax and mastic only darkened. The area of Kalavryta is famous for breathtaking landscapes.

15 kilometers from the village of Kalavrita there is a cave of lakes (Spilio Limnon), which consists of 15 lakes and is famous for its unique stalactites and stalagmites. In this area preached the Christian faith of St. Luke evangelist. This city and its two holy monasteries, the Aya Lavra and Mega Spileon, played a prominent role in preserving the Orthodox faith and national identity of the Greek people during the Ottoman yoke.

During the Second World War, Kalavrita again became an arena of guerrilla activity, this time partisan of ELAS (People's Liberation Army of Greece) in the fight against fascist invaders. "Greek Khatyn" - so called Kalavrita after the events that unfolded here in December 1943. The monastery "Aya Lavra" (Holy Lavra) of the Assumption of the Mother of God is the cradle of the national Greek revival. Great shrines are kept here - the honest head of the holy righteous Alexis, the man of God and the honest head of St. Philaret the Merciful.

It was in this church in March 1821 that Archbishop Herman of the city of Patras, under the banner of the Sacred Banner of the Holy Lavra (the first banner of the Greek nation), took the oath of freedom fighters: “For faith in Christ the Holy and the Motherland freedom.”