Holy Monastery of the Holy Cross in Doliana

The Holy Monastery of the Holy Cross of Dolianos Krania is one of the most remarkable post-Byzantine monuments of the 18th century. The pheronimos church, the only building that survives today, with its original and imposing architecture and the rich decoration, finds the place it deserves nestled in a green forest covered with fir trees in one of the most beautiful and imposing mountainous areas of our country, Aspropotamos.

HISTORY

The Holy Church of Timios Stavros was the Catholicos of the monastery, which is also known as the Holy Monastery of Agia Zoni or Agios Nikolaos. This monastery is in a dilapidated state today, just a few metres from the Holy Church of the Holy Cross. The Holy Monastery of the Holy Cross was merged in 1924 by Royal Decree into the Holy Monastery of St. Stephen of Agion Meteora, of which it is a part of, as confirmed by a relevant act of His Eminence in 1998.

DESCRIPTION OF THE BUILDING

The structure of the Holy Cross Church of the Holy Cross is characterized by its peculiar architecture, innovative applications and construction originality. It consists of the polychrome and polychrome nave and the narthex, which has been renovated today. The nave follows the three-aisled basilica style with three semi-circular arches on the east side and three arches on each long side, the middle ones being choir stalls. The church is covered with a slate slab roof over which 12 domes and trulliforms are raised. Inside the sanctuary there is a synod and a bishop’s throne.

The interior of the temple is not painted. In fact, it does not even have any coatings and in this way the special character of its stone construction, which dominates with majesty, is even more highlighted. The element that dominates and impresses the exterior of the church is its many domes, which are more numerous on the outside than those visible on the inside. Some of them are of a purely decorative nature and are additionally built on the roof of the building. Another main feature of the Holy Cross Church is the rich plastic decoration, as well as the remarkable folk-style reliefs that adorn the exterior of the church.

The entire building complex of the monastery suffered the destructive ravages of the German occupying forces in 1943. The Monastery of Agia Zoni was completely destroyed and the Holy Church of the Holy Cross (the new Katholikon of the Monastery of Agia Zoni) suffered severe damage, including the collapse of the central dome and the complete destruction of the iconostasis by the fire caused by the fire.

Since the late 1950s, on the initiative of the local residents, who have never ceased to express their practical love and interest in the monastery of Timios Stavros, the first restoration works of the church began. The first intervention, which was carried out on the initiative and with the financial support of the inhabitants of Krania and Doliana, took place on 13-9-1956, as we are informed by the inscription placed on the building. This was followed by the roofing with tiles of the gap left by the collapsed central dome, along with other rescue interventions on the monument between 1960 and 1963. Subsequently, the restoration effort was systematically organized on the initiative of His Eminence, our Pastor Seraphim, and took on an official character with the assignment by the Ministry of Culture and Education to the Architect Mr. Katsibini of the study for the conservation of the building. In recent years, in cooperation with the Holy Monastery of Agios Stefanos, the Ephorate of Antiquities of Trikala has been carrying out conservation work on the church building and the restoration of the surrounding area.

FUNCTIONALITY OF THE MONASTERY

The Holy Monastery of the Holy Cross operates under the responsibility of the Holy Monastery of St. Stephen of Agioi Meteora, to which it belongs as a metochi. It remains open for visitors-pilgrims from 10.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. during the following periods: from April to October every day, except Wednesday, throughout the week of the Easter week (from Easter Monday to Thomas Sunday), as well as on weekends of major holidays and public holidays.

The Monastery celebrates twice a year: the feast of the Holy Belt on 31 August, when a holy vigil is held on the evening of 30 August, and the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on 14 September, with a solemn vespers on the eve of the feast and a solemn Mass on the day of the feast.