From end to end in Greece you will find small or larger monasteries in central points or more remote.
Chapels on steep cliffs and by the sea. Monasteries on steep slopes and on mountain tops. Even if they are very small or isolated, when you visit them you feel uniquely overwhelming. One thing is for sure, it is very difficult to visit and see all the monasteries of Greece up close, as there are hundreds. However, you can make a nice trip through pictures and choose which one to put on your list to visit at the first opportunity. One of those is an abandoned and unknown monastery with a strange name. The Monastery by the Lake, as they usually call it, is a small monastery and isolated on Lake Trichonida and is called Fotmou.
So Fotmou is a small and quite old monastery that rests almost on Lake Trichonida. It is a religious monument that you can visit once in your life if you are lucky. The small and abandoned monastery, you will find north of Lake Trichonida and very close to the village Petrochori. A beautiful and idyllic place, which from above reminds you of an alpine landscape. A place of unique beauty that evokes tranquillity and gives the feeling of being very far from the problems and intensity of daily life.
The holy monastery of Fotmou is a monastery built in the 16th century. During the Turkish occupation, like other monasteries throughout Greece of course, it was a place of refuge for the Greeks. And a place of solace and prayer. But why is this monastery called that and what does this strange name mean? The names of monasteries are either dedicated to a saint or a vow. What about Fotmou?
It is believed that this name is related to the light from its position or to the name of someone called Fotinos or to a similar place name. However, the founding inscription that exists there states that the monastery is dedicated to the Holy Theotokos. The Genesis of the Virgin Mary is celebrated on September 8.
It is also said that in the beginning the small monastery was dedicated to Agios Georgios. Now the small chapel in the northeast of the monastery is dedicated to Agios Georgios, which is considered a small part of the monastery.
Apart from the village of Petrochori, there is another way to approach the monastery. The access is from the shore road, then from the thermal baths of Kato Myrtia, in the province of Trichonida.
Once you are there, you will notice how time has left its mark. The desolation and the lack of human care have made the lake seem completely abandoned and forgotten. However, in this historical monastery today, at least once a year, the Divine Liturgy is carried out.
