Monastery of Metamorphosis of Soteros(Agia Sotera)

At an idyllic landscape with tall platanus trees and running waters, near the beautiful settlement of East Fragista, we can see the small, white church of Soteras, the only thing that remains from the famous Monastery of Fragista.

According to the tradition, the monastery was founded in the middle of the 16th century. It was destroyed and looted a lot of times and from 1821 was left without monks. Its history is related to legends and traditions, and has been marked by the figure of Katsantonis, the famous fighter from Agrafa, who stayed here as a novice monk, and from the visit of Cosmas of Aetolia.

The small church, which was the catholicon of the monastery, is an aisleless stauropegic church with conches on the side walls, that is a variation of the Athonite type. It has a narthex and a stone dome and its roof is covered with local slates. According to the founding inscription it was renovated in 1725, when the bishop of Litza and Agrafa was Dionysios of Chios, with the assistance of the priest monk Papakirillos from Voulpi, and with expenses of “Mr. Hatzipanagiotou” from Kerasovo.

At its interior they maintain interesting wall paintings of Byzantine style, which were completed in 1732, by the same founders, when the bishop was Dionysios from Ioannina. Remarkable is the wooden carved screen, work of 1737, and the icons, which date from 1738. A masterpiece of the art of wood carving is the chandelier, which reminds similar works in monasteries of Mount Athos, as well as the enamel plated psalter-stand with ivory.

The church celebrates on the 6th of August and each year it becomes the centre of a brilliant celebration.