From the “Mount Parnon and Moustos Wetland Management Agency, 2015. Guide for the protected area of Mount Parnon and Moustos Wetland. Nature, Culture, Ecotourism. Astros of Arcadia Parnonas:
Near the village of Perdikovrisi, in the gorge of the river Tanos, is the monastery of Timios Prodromos. It is built on a steep rock, in an imposing landscape. The monastery is considered one of the oldest in the area, according to the newest inscription (1890) which is built into its main entrance, its historical presence from 1126 AD is testified. The monastery, due to its inaccessible location, served during the Revolution, as a base against the Turks (in the watermill of the monastery they prepared gunpowder), as a military hospital and as a shelter for the civilian population, during the raids of Ibrahim. It is the only one that withstood the siege by Ibrahim’s troops, who besieged it twice without success (there are several relevant reports from Makrygiannis and others). In order to build the monastery complex of Timios Prodromos, the available place was made excellent use of. The buildings leave in the middle a small courtyard which in the background ends at the katholikon and the famous “Cave of the Forerunner”, a last refuge and fortress in case of enemy invasion. In 2002, several restoration works of the monastery were carried out. On the vertical walls of the buildings of the complex are built many sculptural architectural members of the Byzantine period. The katholikon of the monastery is a cave church raised on the second floor of the buildings. Inside, which has a C shape, so that it adapts to the morphology of the cave, its wood-carved iconostasis stands out. Parts of the frescoes are preserved, not in good condition. The few frescoes of the Holy Step (Platytera, Serving Hierarchs) belong to an unknown hagiographer, who probably worked here during the Venetian period (late 17th – 18th century). The monastery is celebrated on September 6 (nine days after the beheading of Timios Prodromos) and on the 14th of the same month, the feast of the Cross
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