Frankish Monastery of Isova

The Frankish monastery of Isova is located near the village of Trypiti in the Municipality of Andritsaina - Krestena in Ilia. The monastery, which belonged to the order of the Cistercian monks, is one of the most important Gothic ecclesiastical monuments in Greece. It was founded in the first half of the 13th c. (ca. 1225) and according to the "Chronicle of Morea" it was burned in 1263 during the battle of Prinitsa by Turkish mercenaries of the Greeks.

The church of Our Lady is preserved in good condition, but in ruins. The north and west walls are preserved almost to their original height, while the south and east sides have suffered great damage. The shape of the church is rectangular and has dimensions of approximately 41x15 m. The building was covered with a saddleback timber roof, which was supported by stone corbels located between the windows of the north and south sides. Six pointed windows pierce the north and south sides, while at the west there are three, placed on two levels: one, which has the largest dimensions, is higher than the other two, which are smaller and located lower.

The sanctuary of the church is located to the east, and ends in a pentagonal apse. It had two-light windows and was covered with a ribbed stone cross vault. The church probably had three entrances: one in the southeast, where traces of the portal can be found, and two others on the north side, today destroyed.

The western side of the church had no entrance, as it was a monastic complex. The courtyard of the monastery (cloister, cloître) was located to the north of the church and was surrounded by a colonnaded portico.

A two-story building located to the east of the church may have housed the monks' dormitories, while a little further away a stone phiale is preserved, the use of which was apparently for gathering the waters of the springs located near the monastery.

At a short distance from the church of Our Lady is located the church of St. Nicolas. Built in the second half of the 13th century, after the destruction of the monastery, is preserved today in a very bad condition. It is a three-aisled basilica with a semicircular apse and two semicircular conchs to the east. It has pointed windows, of which one double-light and two single-light windows are preserved. The entrance was from the west. The church had a raised clerestory and a saddleback timber roof. Impressive must have been the floor, of which a colorful marble inlay is preserved.

The reuse of architectural members from the church of Our Lady and the application of techniques found in Byzantine architecture probably indicate that the St. Nicolas church was built by Greek craftsmen to serve the needs of the Latin monks after 1263.

Copyediting: Ephorate of Antiquities of Ilia