A thick forest in the area of Aspropotamos, at the southern slopes of Pindus mountain range, hides a post-Byzantine architectural marvel. The 18th century Church of the Holy Cross, near the village of Doliana, is distinguished by its 13 domes and the complete absence of hagiographies inside of its stone walls.
Many domes are only cosmetic and are additionally placed on the roof of the church, which is constructed by local slate slabs. The design of the temple follows the rhythm of the three-aisled basilica with three semicircular arches on the east side and three arches per long side. Inside, folk-style reliefs stand out.
Two hundred meters away stands the nowadays ruined Monastery of the Holy Zone (formerly St. Nicholas), to which the Church of the Holy Cross belonged until 1924. It then came under the control of the Monastery of St. Stephen of Meteora, and to this day remains part of it.
The monastery was completely destroyed by the German army during the Nazi occupation of Greece in 1943, in retaliation for the execution of German prisoners by Greek partisans. The Church of the Holy Cross suffered extensive damage: the central dome collapsed, and the iconostasis was burnt.
The destruction of the Church was followed by the first attempts to restore it, in the 50's, on the initiative of the inhabitants of the neighboring villages Doliana and Krania. Later, it was taken over by the Ministry of Culture, while in 1998 the Monastery of St. Stephen began the excavation work on the ruins of the Monastery of Holy Zone.
Visiting the Church of the Holy Cross
The Church of the Holy Cross is located 1,5 km outside of Doliana village, near the city of Trikala in Thessaly. It is open to the public from April to October every year, the weekdays except Wednesday, from 10:00 am to 6:00 p.m. It is also open during the week following the Orthodox Easter, as well as the weekends of the large national holidays of Greece. If you happen to be there in August 31st or September 14th, you can experience the solemn Divine Liturgy.
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