SAINT THEODORA MONASTERY (VASTAS)GREECE MIRACLE CHURCH
Saint Theodora
Vastas is best known for its miracle church of Saint Theodora, who was an 11th-century Byzantine citizen. When the area was raided by bandits, Theodora was determined to help defend her village, but as a woman it was unthinkable to do so. Not to be deterred, Theodora secretly disguised herself as a male soldier in order to join the defense. Unfortunately, Theodora did not survive, and as she lay dying she uttered the following words:
''Let my body become a church
My blood a river
My hair the forest''
The villagers, moved by her bravery and her untimely demise, built a church at the site of her grave. Legend has it that a local river re-routed to pass directly under the church. Eventually, trees sprouted from the roof of the church, the roots of which are not visible under the roof and neither inside or outside the church. Currently the church has 17 enormous holly and maple trees growing on its roof. Most of them are taller than 30 meters. Saint Theodora has become an important saint of the Greek Orthodox Church and the site has become important for religious pilgrims and sightseers alike.
Church of Agia Theodora
The church of the patron saint of Arta and a pillar are the only salvaged parts of the monastery founded in the 13th century by the queen of the Despotate, Theodora.
It was founded in honor of St. George and functioned as a convent for nuns.
After the death of her husband, Theodora lived as a nun in the monastery, was buried there and the church is dedicated to her name.
Saint Theodora in Vasta
What Scientists Have Said About the Miraculous Chapel of St. Theodora in Vasta
What we know of the life of St. Theodora of Vasta comes entirely from local tradition, but her little chapel in southern Greece is known throughout the world and visited by thousands every year.
The Chapel of St. Theodora dates approximately to the 12th century and it is entirely made of stone. What is extraordinary about this church however is that there currently grow 17 enormous trees on the roof of this small structure. Most of them are over 30m high, and some of them are over 1m in diameter. Many of the trees weigh over 1 ton. Yet, even if the roof of the little church is thin and without any special support, it remains standing for centuries now as if by a miracle. Scientists have studied the case and they confess their inability to explain how the trees grow on such a thin roof, without destroying the church. The little church is under great pressure, and over time some minor restoration has been necessary, but that is mainly due to the curiosity of some inexperienced people who have tried to “understand the mystery”. Unprofessional interventions have affected the church’s architecture, though only to a small degree.
According to tradition, St. Theodora, prior to her martyrdom, prayed: “May my body become a church, my blood a river, and my hair trees.” Today this is exactly what one sees when visiting this holy shrine. On the spot where her martyred body is said to lay, locals built a church in her honor. A river also runs beneath this chapel and the trees have grown above it.
The little church is currently under the protection of the Metropolis of the region, as well as under that of the Minister of Culture as a Byzantine monument of national value.
St. Theodora church in Vasta Megalopolis, Arcadia, Greece
Saint Theodora of the book Guinness World Records. The church was built between 1050-1100 in honor of Martyr Theodora. Located near the village of Vasta Megalopolis in an idyllic wooded ravine with dense forest of enormous oaks. the church even though small in size impresses every visitor trying to justify the existence of the 17 towering trees on the roof without root trace at the bottom of the roof or inside the temple. Visiting Agia Theodora is a great trip on the same day from Athens. It is worth visiting the spot even as detour on the road to Kalamata.
HIKE TO ST THEODORA (Agia Theodora) VASTA, GREECE 6 2001 Βάστα Αρκαδίας
The wonder of the Church of St. Theodora. This almost ancient little church sits on the top of some gigantic unexplored caverns with some 17 big trees rising from it roof, and from its cornerstone is gushing the beginning of Pamissos River, that empties in to the Aegean sea after it passes through the olive groves of Kalamata.
About 40 years ago, a local land owner (Mitsios Papakostantinou) found three small statues in the mysterious and unexplored caverns. The statues were claimed by the museum of Sparta.
SEE: WWW.BASTAVILLAGE.COM
BY Άγγελος Μπάκας
ΑΓΙΑ ΘΕΟΔΩΡΑ (ΑΡΤΑ) Saint Theodora (Arta Greece)
ΑΓΙΑ ΘΕΟΔΩΡΑ (ΑΡΤΑ) Saint Theodora (Arta Greece)
Saint Theodora the Martyr
Saints and Feasts (Greek)
September 11
Sermon: 9-11-16 - Saint Theodora and the Trees - Rev. Dr. Peter J. Spiro
Sermon: 9-11-16 - Saint Theodora and the Trees - Rev. Dr. Peter J. Spiro
Agia Theodora
Die Kirche der Schutzheiligen von Arta und eine Säule sind die einzigen Überreste eines Klosters, das im 13. Jahrhundert von der Herrscherin des Despotats Theodora gegründet wurde.
Es handelte sich um ein Frauenkloster, das dem heiligen Georgios geweiht war.
Nach dem Tod ihres Mannes lebte Theodora als Nonne im Kloster, wo sie auch begraben wurde. Seither trägt die Kirche ihren Namen.
Agia Theodora - αγια θεοδωρα
agia
Timelapse in Arta, Greece
My first attempt to timelapse the church of my village in Easter.
Αγία Θεοδώρα, η βασίλισσα του Δεσποτάτου της Ηπείρου | St. Theodora the Queen with a golden heart
Ο αρχικός ναός ιδρύθηκε προς τιμή του Αγίου Γεωργίου. Σήμερα όμως τιμά την Αγία Θεοδώρα της Άρτας, τη βασίλισσα και πολιούχο της, συνδέοντας το παρελθόν, το παρόν και το μέλλον της πόλης. Ο αρχικός ναός κτίστηκε το 11ο αιώνα. Το 1270 η βασίλισσα Θεοδώρα ανακαίνισε την εκκλησία, που λειτουργούσε σαν γυναικείο μοναστήριΌπως μας πληροφορεί ο βιογράφος της Αγίας Θεοδώρας ο μοναχός Ιώβ, η βασίλισσα μετά το θάνατο του συζύγου της Μιχαήλ, μόνασε στη μονή μέχρι την κοίμηση της (1281), ενταφιάστηκε εκεί, και μετά την επίσημη ανακήρυξη της ως Αγίας, ο ναός τιμάται πλέον στο όνομα της.
Tripoli,peloponisos,Ag.Theodora,Vasta,Megalopoli
Saint Theodora
Feasts and Saints (English)
February 11
Αγία Θεοδώρα
Ο ναός της πολιούχου της Άρτας και ένας πυλώνας είναι τα μόνα σωσμένα τμήματα μονής που ιδρύθηκε το 13ο αιώνα από τη βασίλισσα του Δεσποτάτου Θεοδώρα. Ιδρύθηκε προς τιμήν του Αγίου Γεωργίου και λειτούργησε ως γυναικείο μοναστήρι. Μετά το θάνατο του συζύγου της, η Θεοδώρα εμόνασε στη μονή, τάφηκε εκεί και ο ναός τιμάται στο όνομά της.
Ο ναός αυτός αποτελεί την πιο ζωντανή σύνδεση της σημερινής με τη βυζαντινή Άρτα, αφού εκτός από το κτίσμα έχουμε και την παρουσία της ίδιας της βασίλισσας του Δεσποτάτου, της πολιούχου Αγίας Θεοδώρας. Βρίσκεται σε πολύβοη συνοικία της παλιάς κάτω πόλης, στο κέντρο της άλλοτε πρωτεύουσας του Δεσποτάτου.
Η Αγία Λάρνακα της Αγίας Θεοδώρας της εν Θεσσαλονίκη
ΑΓΙΑ ΘΕΟΔΩΡΑ ΒΑΣΙΛΙΣΣΑ ΤΗΣ ΑΡΤΑΣ (11 Μαρτίου) - Απολυτίκιο
Ψάλλει Ο Καθηγητής Μουσικής και Πρωτοψάλτης Κωνσταντίνος Ράπτης.
Ισοκράτης:Δημήτριος Βασιλάκης
Saint Theodora
Saints and Feasts (Greek)
February 11
Saint Theodora of Aegina
Feasts and Saints (English)
August 29
Agia Theodora
St. Theodora's litany in Corfu, 20 Febr.2010