Kalavryta
Kalavryta is built at an altitude of 756 meters and only 77 km from Patras. Kalavryta appears in 776 BC. by the name of Kinnithi where it indicates the locals’ appeal for hunting. Their present name appeared in the Frankish period due to the cool springs running through the city. In the Province of Kalavryta you can visit very important religious, historical, archeological, natural and tourist attractions.
Agia Lavra
The historic self of Agia Lavra is 4.5 kilometers from the town of Kalavryta.
In the monastery stands the chapel that was declared and blessed by the Metropolitan of Old Patriots German Revolution on the occasion of the Annunciation of 1821.
In the monastery one can admire the banner of the revolution guarded by bullets, the precious diamond Gospel of Catherine the Great, the vestments and the shepherd’s rod of the Old Patron German. A large number of crosses made of precious stones and yet important objects of worship. From the large collection of images stands out the 1600s icon of Saint Panteleimon.
Every year on March 25, festivities take place, most importantly representing the assembly of chieftains and raising the banner of the revolution.
Opening Hours of Holy Lavra Monastery:
Winter Hours: Daily 10:00 to 13:00 & 15:00 to 16:00
Summer Hours: Daily 10:00 to 13:00 & 16:00 to 17:00
Tel +30 26920 22363
Great Cave
The Great Cave is just 10 kilometers from the town of Kalavryta. On a wild and steep cliff 120m high on top of which there is an old tower, is the Great Cave. The facade of the cave is closed by cells.
The monastery was founded in 362 AD by the monks Symeon and Theodore at the place where the icon of the Virgin Mary was found in the depths of the cave where the fountain is located. The image was found by a shepherd dog and is made of wax and mastic by Luke the Evangelist.
In 840 the Great Cave was burned by iconoclasts. In 1285 Andronicus Paleologos rebuilt it and burned it a second time in 1400 and a third in 1600 when the church and the valuable library with rare manuscripts burned down.
It burned for the fourth time in 1934 when all the relics of invaluable value were destroyed. It was rebuilt in 1936 but burned and looted by the Germans in December 1943. The Germans executed the 22 monks and all the staff of the monastery and threw their corpses from a nearby cliff.
Great and unique relics are kept in the heirloom hall of the monastery. The monastery celebrates the 15th of August in memory of the Assumption.
Hours of Operation of the Big Cave Monastery:
Daily 08:00 until sunset.
Tel +30 26920 23130
Place of Sacrifice
A special monument of the city and a sacred pilgrimage is the Place of Sacrifice, on the hill of Kapi, on the road to the Ski Center.
The men of 14 years of age and above the Germans were driven to the Ridge of the Cap on December 13, 1943, where they were executed.
At that point today there is a great Cross reminiscent of that crime. The columns surrounding the central area show the names of the families of the executed and in the catacombs there are candles equal to the families of the executed.
Every year on December 13th, after the memorial service in the cathedral of the city, the mourning procession ends at the Place of Sacrifice, where a memorial service and a Divine Invitation are held.
Monument of Heroes
North of the Monastery of Agia Lavra rises the Monument of Heroes of the Revolutionary Guards of 1821, who were sacrificed for the independence of the Greek Nation from the Turkish Yoke.
Ski Resort
The ski resort is located on the north side of Helmos in Xerokambos area just 15 km from Kalavryta.
It started operating in 1988. It has 12 pistes with a total length of 20 kilometers and 7 lifts capable of carrying 5000 people per hour. Its loyalists meet the requirements of all skiers. At 1850 meters there is a coffee shop, a restaurant, a ski shop and a medical office.
Information:
www.kalavrita-ski.com
tel. +30 26920 24452
Lakes Cave
It is located near the village of Kastria in the municipality of Lefkasio, on the road Patras-Kalavrita-Klitoria-Tripoli and is only 17 km from the city of Kalavrita.
A rare and unique creation of nature where in addition to its labyrinthine corridors and magnificent stalactites, it has something that makes it one of a kind in the world on successive stepped lakes spanning three floors. It is an old underground river bed with an explored length of 1,980 meters. When the snow melts the cave turns into an underground river with natural waterfalls. During the summer months a section of the river dries up and reveals original lacy rock basins and dams up to 4 meters high.
The lakes are crossed by elevated artificial bridges.
Information
Τηλ. +30 26920 31001
Lake Tsivlou
Lake Tsivlou is located in Helmos, near the homonymous settlement west of the Krati River valley, at an altitude of about 700 meters in the firs. The lake is located and created by landslides at the beginning of the century.