Katerinous Monastery – Holy Monastery of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary

The Holy Monastery of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary is situated in a verdant location at the foot of Mt. Arakynthos, south of Lake Trichonida and very close to the village of Gavalou.
Also known as the “Monastery of Katerinous” – according to local tradition, a shepherdess named Katerina (Catherine) received a commission from Virgin Mary to build an iconostasis on the specific spot for passers-by to pray and be sanctified – it has been a center of national, religious, spiritual and philanthropic activity, celebrating on September 8.
The church’s altarpiece features an old icon of the Virgin Mary, known as Pantanassa, holding Jesus tenderly in her arms, surrounded by four prophets and two angels.
The female monastery features two-story cells, a century-old plane tree and two springs with running water. The church, a three-aisled concrete basilica with a raised central nave, lies in the center of the courtyard, erected in 1979 on the site of an older church.