It is difficult to estimate in how many parts of our homeland holy monasteries and churches have been built, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. An infinite number of icons of the Virgin Mary are stored in monasteries and holy shrines. The Virgin Mary, the holiest of the faces of Orthodoxy, is glorified in every corner of Greece.

The main reason for the establishment of these religious monuments was, to a large extent, the miraculous presence of the Virgin Mary in the specific place or the miraculous finding of a sacred image, which comes even from the iconoclasm period in Byzantium. Also, this preference has to do not only with the prominent position of the Virgin Mary in Orthodoxy, but also with the respect and the exceptional honor that Islam and consequently the conquerors paid to the Virgin Mary. The Virgin Mary, in the tradition of Islam, is the daughter of Joachim and Anna, whom, according to the Qur’an, her mother dedicated to Allah, to serve him. She remained pure by divine choice and gave birth to Christ in a unique way, occupying a superior position among all women. The establishment of temples and monasteries, after the Turkish conquest, would certainly take into account this special position of the Virgin Mary, in order to protect the religious monuments in her honor.

The worship and devotion that the faithful have to the Most Holy Theotokos is proved by the many names, which have been dedicated to her grace, the “Theotokonymia”, which exceed 500 in Greece: Megalohari, Ekatontapyliani, Faneromeni, Eikosiforinoussa, , Eleousa, Megalospilaiotissa, Giatrissa, and many more. In Epirus, the long Byzantine tradition of the region has to show many monasteries and churches, which are dedicated to its grace. The Virgin Mary holds a leading position in the honor and respect of Christians in the mainland, which is reflected in the long period of time and under difficult historical, social and economic conditions. The people of Epirus have dedicated to her imposing monasteries, majestic churches and humble chapels. The route that follows, in stations with important historical and artistic pilgrimages of the Virgin Mary in the area of ​​Ioannina, proves the worship of the faithful and gives the visitor the opportunity to admire up close religious monuments of the highest artistic creation dedicated to Her.

The Holy Monastery of Kipina in Kalarrytes, dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, stands out on the one hand due to its amazing location in a large cave of a vertical rock, with wonderful views of the surrounding area, but also due to its access by only a small path carved into the rock and by a small concrete bridge, with the result that the limited access to it make it inaccessible and one of the few monasteries that was not destroyed by robberies.

The Holy Monastery of Tsoukas in Elliniko, dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin, was a religious and national center, since in the national liberation struggle of 1821, but also in all national struggles, it was a refuge of the Greek revolutionaries and gained great fame, thanks to its water. which was considered spa and was sought after throughout Epirus, while its festival on September 8 was famous and gathered many people, but also the sick, who wanted to be healed.

The Holy Monastery of Votsa, dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, wants tradition to be one of the monuments founded by Constantine IV Pogonatos in the area, while it was once an important station for caravans traveling from Thessaly and Macedonia to Epirus and vice versa, following one of the most important highways during Roman times and Ottoman rule.

The Holy Monastery of Evangelistria, dedicated to the Annunciation of the Virgin, has the largest catholic church in Zagori, while for many centuries it follows a parallel historical course with the settlement of Ano Pedina, having contributed significantly to the village with the school’s guardianship and execution of many public works projects. The church has remarkable frescoes of 1809, while its iconostasis is also memorable, which belongs to the category of the main continental iconostasis, which dominate from the middle of the 18th century.

Finally, Panagia Metsovo, the Holy Monastery dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin, built at the foot of Metsovo, at a key point, on the right bank of the Metsovite river, was founded in 1746 and its katholikon is a wooden-roofed basilica of 1754, recorded mainly in with Russian style murals.