MONASTERY of EPANO CHREPA

The Holy Monastery of Epano Chrepathat is devoted to the Dormition of the Virgin of Epano Chrepa sees from afar the whole plateau of Mantineia, up to the “balcony of Tripolitsa “! It is found at an altitude of 1278 m., ., facing the sun, in the heart of Mainalos, having Ai-Dini above and the lower peaks of Tripoli below, Ayii Theodori, Analipsi, the cliff of Pigi, and Ai-Dimitrakos. It is about one and a half hours away from Tripoli on foot and only a quarter of an hour by car. In both cases, the visitor goes through the village of Perthori. The road is paved at some points and dirt at others.
The Monastery was built around 1100 A.D. (according to others in the 9th century A.D.) and it is the highest in the Peloponnese!

Here, in this mountain, Mainalos, in antiquity the Dryads and Hamadryads, the Nymphs and Bacchants cavorted, while it was the mountain of Atalanta, of the Goddess Artemis and of course of Pan!

It is said that the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary that nowadays is found in the temple of the monastery, was found before in Ai-Giorgi, a grove of Tripoli that belonged to the monastery as a dependency…

The name “Chrepa” is a Slavic word and means “pile”!

It is the observation post of Tripolitsa, from which you can see Argolida! Until April of the year 1935 is was a men’s monastery and from that point on it started operating as women’s monastery. It belongs to the Holy Monastery of Mantinia and Kynouria.
On the side next to Epano Chrrepa are Panagia of Chrysovitsi, Zarakova, Libovisi, Arkoudorema, Piana, Alonistena, Valtetsi… they all more or less possess historical importance related to the Greek Struggle for Independence of the Year 1821!