Kato Panagia Monastery
monastery in Artaion Municipality, Greece
The Kato Panagia Monastery (Greek: Μονή Κάτω Παναγιάς) is a monastery at the foot of Peranthi hill, about 20 minutes west of Arta, next to the river Arachthos.
History
It was founded in 1250 by the despot of Epirus Michael II Doukas and his wife, later Saint Theodora (holiday 11 March). Its foundation coincides with the period when the Despotate of Epirus was flourishing.
Kato Panagia was named to distinguish it from Parigoritissa, which is built on a higher level than the monastery. It is one of three monasteries that Michael built as a sign of his repentance. Biographer of Saint Theodora Job Monk (17th century) reported the marital infidelity into which Michael fell with an Artine noblewoman, Gangrini, from whom he had two illegitimate sons. The other two monasteries are Panagia toni Vlacherna, in the homonymous village of Vlacherna, and of Agios Georgios, where the current church of Saint Theodora is located in Arta. Theodora lived as a nun for the last 10 years of her life until her death in 1280, when the monastery was renamed for Saint Theodora.
Ledger
From the original building complex, only the Catholic church, with its cross-roofed architecture, ornate ceramic decoration and built-in marble volumes taken from the ruins of the neighboring Amvrakia, is preserved. On the western exterior is a clearly visible monogram of Michael Doukas, despot of Epirus from 1237 - 1270.
The public source identifies “Kato Panagia Monastery” as monastery in Artaion Municipality, Greece. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Kato, Panagia and Monastery.
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Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 6, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q12881170. Authority coordinates are 39.145, 20.990. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1250, 1280, 1237 and 1270.
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This entry incorporates text from “Kato Panagia Monastery” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.