The town of Kastoria (Kastoria) is located in the northwestern part of Greece and is one of the oldest cities in Western Macedonia. In Kastoria, as well as its vicinity to the present time preserved a great number of churches of Byzantine and post-Byzantine periods, and where today you can admire the unique wall paintings and beautiful icons.

One of the most important and interesting religious sites of Kastoria is the monastery of Panagia Mauritis. Beautiful Byzantine Church located in the beautiful lake Orestiada 4 km from the city centre. It was built in the XI century (presumably in 1082) during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Alexius Comnenus in honor of the First victory over the Normans.

The main Catholicon of the monastery is a single-nave Basilica with a wooden roof. The interior of this temple is striking in its splendor. Interestingly, wall paintings studied six painters, each of which possessed its own unique technique, however, the whole ensemble looks more than harmonious. The external part of the structure was painted in the 13th century and part of these fine works of art have survived to the present day. It is remarkable, but the frescoes, which were located in well-lit areas, survived much better than those which were in the shade.

The monastery is also a chapel in honour of Saint John, which dates from the XVI century. Near the entrance to the monastery grows a magnificent plane tree, whose age is more than 900 years old (height of 67 m, and the circumference of the barrel is 8, 5 m).

Visiting the monastery of Panagia Magriotis, you can not only admire the stunning frescoes of the Byzantine era, but also to enjoy the beautiful nature of the surroundings of lake Orestiada.