Church of Agios Varnavas, Louros
The church of Agios Varnavas is 3 km off on the east of the village of Louros, among the River Louros and its tributary Kseropotamos, in a forest of poplar trees, willows and plane trees. Two signs report that the church was built initially in 1149 by Konstantinos Magistros Maniakis and it was rebuilt in 1833 by Kostas Papachristos and his son Dimitrios.
Its current form is a double columned dome, covered with a system of arches, small domes without drums and double arcs. At the semicircular arch five blind arcades are formed. A decorative film covers the roof of the church, the dome and the arch. There are mural paintings of the 19th century only on altar’s arch. The church’s current iconostasis has been recently built.
The church of Agios Varnavas has been backfilled at least by 1,5 by the river. The floor of the current church is lower than earth by three steps and it is covered with stones.Nowadays, remains of some gravestones can be seen, that probably come from a roman cemetery. The forest around the church of Agios Varnavas has been turned into a place of amusement with a playground and it is a place where anyone can stroll and have fun.

Monastery of Taksiarxis
The Monastery of Taxiarhis is located on the steep rock of Zalongo, on the east of a modern monument of Souliotisses, close to the Monastery of Agios Dimitrios. The little temple is a single-naved with an additional narthex on the west. Probably, it must have been built in 1883, at the place of the Byzantine temple. It was abandoned since the Second World War and in 1975-1976 the Ephorate of Antiquities in Ioannina took over the restoration. Nowadays, it functions as a chapel.

Monastery of Agios Dimitrios Zaloggou
The monastery is located on the foothills of the Zalongo Mountain, under the monument of Souliotisses and close to the remains of the ancient city of Cassope.
The current shape of the monastery is of restricted dimensions, single-ended with a polygonal dome. The nave of the church is nowadays ruined.
Unfortunately, we cannot tell the exact year that the monastery was built at the new place, because the date of construction found on a sign is not evident. However, it cannot have been built before 1800.
The internal part of the church is filled with mural paintings of 1816, as the sign found on the west gate indicates. It is about a piece of art made by a guild of painters from Korytiani Katsanochorion. A third sign, found above the gate of the fence of the monastery, reports the date of 27 February 1831. So, we estimate that this was the time when the rest of the buildings of the monastery were built, the monks’ cellars, guesthouses etc), which have suffered many posterior interventions.

Monastery of Agia Pelagia
The monastery of Agia Pelagia is on the south, not far from the settlement of Kastrosykia. It is built on a slope covered in olive oil trees, extended from the edges of the settlement, up to the Ionian Sea, next to the National road Preveza – Igoumenitsa.
It was built in the 17th century and it had been twice restored, in 1613 and in 1795, according to the signs. It seems that the stoned iconostasis of the catholic had been constructed in 1856. The date is written on the icons of the Crucifixion and of Agioi Apostoloi. The katholikon of the monastery is a simple four columned inscribed cruciform church with lateral conches and the iconostasis of the year 1856.
The cellars are on the west side of the katholikon and they consist a building of rectangular shape with three rooms of accommodation and an open gallery. The oldest dated building of those that currently exist is the pillar with the arched doorframe that bears the engraved on the coat sign “Σ/Σ 1894”, built in 1894.
The monastery was built on the remains of a roman building, relics of which are evident on its fence and recently in one of the cellars a mosaic floor of the roman era was revealed.

Monastery of the Assumption of Panagia Theotokos Avassou
Just 17 km off Louros and 4 km after Kato Kotsanopoulo village towards Vryssoula village, on the left of the road among ferns, olive oil trees and plane trees, one of the oldest monasteries of Epirus, the Monastery of Avassou lies. It is dedicated to the Assumption of Theotokos.
It owes its name to its owner. His name was Avassiotis and he was a merchant from Russia in the 19th century. The wood craved iconostasis with stories from Bible are valuable. The Despotic icons were painted by Mr. Karatzoulas from Preveza in 1891. On the south west side of Katholikon you can see the remains of the cellars.
Very close to the Monastery there is one of the oldest watermills of the region that was restored. Recently, the stoned fence of the Monastery has also been restored. Avassou Monastery has been listed historic.

Monastery of the Assumption of Panagia Theotokos Kozyli
The Monastery is situated on the foothills of Zalongo hill, on the east north of Kamarina village. It used to be the seat of Kozyli Bishopric, which was founded after the decline of Nikopolis before 1020. During the Turkish occupation, the Kozyli Bishopric began to faint and only the so named monastery remained. The monastery declined in the second half of 19th century and it became dependency of Zalongo Monastery, until it was finally destroyed.
The Monastery is dedicated to the Assumption of Theotokos. The katholikon is single- ended with narthex. The main temple is covered with a wide and low polygonal dome at the centre, almost circular. There are some mural paintings in the inner part of the temple, but only some remains are preserved.
The temple is a building of the byzantine period, on which some posterior interventions happened (all sideswere painted, three pillars on the north side, an open portico on the south etc) that altered its shape. Some remains of the byzantine building exist on the south west of the temple. On the north side, it is attached to a square tank.

Monastery of Agia Triada Lekatsa
The Holly monastery of Agia Triada Lekatsa is located in the heart of the so called forest, just 4 km off, on the northwest of Ano Myrsini village. Probably, it was founded in the 17th century. It is dedicated to the Birth of Theotokos. Because of the fact that Panagia revealed herself many times in that place, the monastery is called Faneromeni (i.e Revealed). Ever since then, the monastery celebrates on Monday (revealing) of the Holly Spirit.
The katholikon of the monastery is a single-ended wooden roof temple of great dimensions. It was built in 1744 and restored in 1870. Initially, the temple was dome shaped. In 1870 the arch was demolished and the wooden roof was constructed. On the southwest edge of the temple, a belfry is erected of kind of perforated wall that was built in 1813.
At the place there are currently three buildings of 19th century that are surrounded by a fence built on rubble. The pillar of the monastery is on the east side.
During the periods of 1998-2001 and 2010-2012, in the days of blessed Bishop of Nikopoli Meletios, the Monastery is being completely renovated, restored and renewed and it has been awarded the “Europa Nostra” prize. It has been listed historic monument and a special state protection is now required, according to Greek Official Gazette 740/ vol β/25.8.1997. Nowadays, the Monastery is open to public.

Monastery of Agioi Apostles of Lithari
On the left side of the National Road of Preveza – Arta and 1km off the intersection towards Nea Sampsounta (17 km from Preveza) – at the location “Lithari” – there is one of the most famous Monasteries of the prefecture of Preveza. It is the Monastery of Apostles Peter and Paul, mostly known as Monastery of Lithari.
An old tradition, living in the region, claims that the message about Christ and His Resurrection at Nikopoli of Epirus was spread by famous Apostle Paul. Heading to Nikopoli, about 15km away from the well-known big city, and seated on a stone, he talked to those “who happened to be there” about Jesus. And then, the location and the stone, were recorded in the consciousness of the Christian people of the region, in a sacred and wholly way, since that was the place where the Beginning of Epirus was created.
The location “Lithari” (stone) is the place where the church of Agioi Apostoloi was built, since ancient times, but it is unknown exactly when, either in roman, or early Christian remains. The scholarArchbishop of Arta Serafeim Xenopoulos the Byzantine, walking around the place in 1867, he found again the “Holly stone” (Agiolitharo) (as the people of Preveza call it) next to the south side of the altar, he put up fences and he built on this canopy-iconostasis, which exists up today.
Some years later, the Monastery of Lithari is being destroyed by fire. It is renovated once more in 1871 by the monk Ignatios Zabetis. In 1916 it is being merged to Zalongo Monastery. During Second World War, the Germans burn the cellars of the west side of the Monastery next to a bunch of cypress trees. A little bit northern of the temple in 1988 a new church with a dome is being built and in 1995 the old temple is being renovated.
The old Katolikon of the Lithari Monastery is a single-naved basilica with wooden roof and a tiled floor. It is divided into a narthex- matroneum, the main temple and the Sanctuary, with two doors on its south side.
The “Agiolitharo” nowadays is a living testimony of numerous miracles and visions and appearances of Saint Apostle and founder of our regional church.

 

Monastery of Elias the Prophet
The holly Monastery of Elias the Prophet became independent in the days of Monk Kallistos, in 1720, whilst until then it was a dependency (Metochi) of the Monastery of Rogon.
Everything that the Monastery offered to subjugated Christians of the region had been valuable during the Turkish occupation. And that explains why the conquerors made it suffer so much. It is reported that Muhtar Pasha, son of the tyrant of Epirus Ali, arrested without reason the monk Dionysios A΄, an honorable and decent man and tortured him. During the Greek Turkish regrettable war of 1897, the Monastery suffered great disasters, for the restoration of which the Priest Nikolaos from Rizovouni worked really hard.
The coup de grâce was given by the forces of occupation (1943-44) that fired its buildings, because it was a centre of national resistance of the region. But miraculously, the famous Katholikon with the great sculpted stoned iconostasis escaped from being destroyed.
In the days of Bishop of Nikopoli and Preveza Meletios, the Monastery was transferred to a new under construction building at the district of Nea Sinopi and close to the former municipal community of Flampoura. It was recruited with 23 monks, most of them serving the missionary and spiritual work of the Metropolis, under the leadership of archimandrite abbot Efraim Toumbeki.
The monastery of Elias the Prophet is being subject by the jurisdiction of the Holly Metropolis of Nikopoli and Preveza. Currently the Monastery does not have guesthouse. The Monastery is closed on Mondays and Thursdays.