The Holy Monastery of Poretsou belongs to the Holy Metropolis of Ilia and is dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is located in the Prefecture of Achaia near its borders with the Prefecture of Ilia, close to the villages of Agrabela (formerly Poretso) and Platanitsa (formerly Germotzani or Remoudzani) of Kalavryta. It is built at the foot of Mount Erymanthos at an altitude of 794 metres.
The monastery is commemorated on August 15.
Clear information about the establishment of the Monastery does not exist. The Metropolitan Antonios defines the foundation of the monastery in the 10th century by St. Luke. Other researchers claim that it was founded in the 11th century by Hosios Meletius.
Tradition tells us that the monastery was originally built in another location, on the borders of Agrabela and Kryovrisi, at the location of Panagia. Today there is a small chapel of Panagia there. After the destruction of the original monastery by fire, it was rebuilt on the spot where it is now.
The monastery acquired its present form between 1608 - 1611 when it was renovated "from the ground up" with the assistance of the Valis of Tripoli and the lord Spiliotis Klokonis, according to an inscription in the church which was painted in the same period by Nafplion brothers Moschos.
Both the monastery and its monks played a very important role during the period of Turkish rule and especially during the Revolution. In 1824 - 1825 Asimakis Fotilas took refuge in the monastery when he was ordered to be arrested by Kolletis. Andreas Zaimis and his father also hid for a long time in a cave near the monastery until they were granted amnesty by the Kountouriotis government.
The monastery faced serious problems during the German occupation. In 1943 it was looted by the Germans and most of its relics were stolen. Of these, the only ones that survived are some manuscript codes on membrane, the oldest of which is from 1698, as well as a 13th or 14th century manuscript Tetraevangel, which have now been transferred and are kept safe.
The monastery was listed as a settlement of Poretsos until 1961, when it was abolished due to the restriction of the number of monks. For many years a primary school operated in it.
The last monks left in 1982 and since then the building infrastructure began to crumble.
In 2003, the Monastery joined the Pilgrimage Tourism program of the Ministry of Development and was restored with a study and supervision by the Technical Directorate of the National Tourism Organisation (EOT). It was fully renovated by 2013, but nevertheless remained closed until 2023.
It does not have its own Brotherhood.
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