Surrounded by centuries-old olive trees on a verdant plateau of the village of Kato Panagia, 2.5km away from Kyllini, the Holy Monastery of Genesis of the Theotokos, also known as Panagia Vlacherna (Saint Mary of Blachernae), built in honor of renowned homonymous monastery in Constantinople, is considered one of the historical monasteries of the prefecture of Ilia.
Dominating the center of the courtyard, its katholikon - a Byzantine building with Frankish additions, a perfect example of the fusion of Eastern and Western ecclesiastical art - the church is a three-aisled basilica, domeless, built of reddish tufa and divided into an external narthex, an internal narthex and the main church.
The hagiographies inside the temple are exquisite creations mainly from the middle of the 18th century, while the vertical sundial embedded in a marble slab is noteworthy in the outer narthex.
The Monastery has a rich library and preserves, among other things, original patriarchal seals, manuscripts, codices, books of great value and important relics, including Gospels, reliquaries and ecclesiastical vessels. Tombs of prominent Franks are preserved on its premises.
Since 1978, carrying out non-stop charity work, the monastery has operated both as a nursing home and later as an institution for the chronically ill and bedridden elderly. It is celebrated every year on September 8 and can only be visited by appointment.
