The Holy Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Savior, named Loukous is located near the historical villages of Astros and lower Doliana.
The monastery belongs to the Byzantine monuments of our country. The name Loukous probably comes from the Latin word 'LUKUS', i.e. a sacred forest and comes from the Frankish era (Frankokratia, Francocracy) when it was occupied and where capuchin monks lived as hermits. Excavations that took place have provided important findings, which are kept in the museum of Astros. Besides, during the 2nd century AD, in the same place, the sophist Herod Atticus had his luxurious Roman villa.
The Christian life of the Monastery begins in the 5th century AD, when the first Christian church was built. On the relics of this temple, in 1117, was reconstructed the second one in honor of the Transfiguration of the Savior. The monastery experienced days of glory but during the Turkish conquest, it experienced dissolution and destruction. Its monks were slaughtered, and its remarkable relics were removed, including its property plaque.
The offer of the Monastery to the Revolution of 1821 is remarkable. Its abbot, Neophytos, was initiated into the Society of Friends (Filiki Eteria). In the fall of Tripoli, the monks at risk of their lives carried food and munitions to the military camp of Vervenoi. In 1826, on the eve of its feast (August 6), the Monastery severely suffered by the great fire of Ibrahim.
The value of the monastery is concentrated in the Catholic (katholikon). The architectural rhythm of the temple is purely Byzantine with an octagonal high dome, resting on four columns and with a written cross on the floor and on the roof. At the center of the floor there is a sculptural double-headed eagle, indicating that the Monastery was Patriarchal-Stavropegic. To the left and right of the entrance there are two churches of Saint Charalambos and Saint Panteleimon. Excellent hagiographies adorn the interior of the temples. Also remarkable, are the icons of the Monastery, many of which were saved by the fire of 1826 due to the heroism of the monks.
The monastery was always male until 1946, when it became a nunnery. Since then, many works have been done. Many buildings were built and also reconstructed, as well as temples such as Ascension and Saint Dimitrios were erected, new buildings were added, such as Saint Nicholas of Karya. The Katholikon was enriched with the chapels of All Saints’ Day and the Assumption of the Virgin. There is a rich library of 300 volumes, manuscripts, patriarchal sigilia (documents), codes, crosses, the Holy Gospel of 1871, a silver cross with true cross that many times scents, etc.
There is an organized carpet workshop, which is made of “tsakonika kilimia” (handmade carpets that are weaved at loom) in Byzantine variants and a painting workshop, where is cultivated the Byzantine hagiography. Of course, there is no shortage of agricultural work. A few kilometers below is situated the coast of Astros, with its beautiful and clean beaches, worth visiting, as well as its museum, which contains the relics of the Monastery of Loukous.
