The name "Kipina" is said to derive, according to one version, from the gardens cultivated by the monks in an area that is predominantly steep and rocky. According to linguists, the name probably originates from the Slavic word *Kip*, meaning “image” or “painting,” combined with the suffix *-ina*. The nearby settlement of Arborezi later adopted this name as well.
However, the monastery is far from ordinary. The first impression one gets from its exterior appearance is literally breathtaking. Gazing at the sheer, vertical cliff, one could swear the monastery is hanging precariously over the abyss.
The Holy Monastery of Kipina is located within the fissure of a steep rock near the village of Kalarrytes in Tzoumerka and is perhaps the most impressive monastery in all of Epirus.
Its history is lost deep in the centuries. It is believed that it was founded in 1212 by Archbishop Gregory, when the Despotate of Epirus was established. However, there is a second version suggesting it was founded in the 13th century by monks from the Monastery of Vyliza. The daring image visitors see today dates from its 18th-century reconstruction, although a century later, in the 19th century, the monastery was abandoned. In 1931, it became a dependency of the Tsouka Monastery.
It features a small single-aisled basilica with a narthex, and its interior is adorned with 17th-century frescoes. The ceiling of the church has been sculpted to form a perfectly uniform dome. The structure is divided into two levels — the ground floor with the reception area and the upper floor where the monks’ cells are located.
Access to the monastery is just as impressive as the monastery itself and the interior of the church. A small uphill path, carved into the rock, leads to a suspended wooden bridge held by a thick chain. During the Ottoman period, this bridge was movable, and the monks could lift it with a lever, creating a **four-meter gap** over the cliff to protect the monastery from potential invaders.
However, beyond its wild beauty, the Holy Monastery of Kipina hides a great secret within. A hidden door leads to a crypt which, during the Ottoman occupation and the years of the national resistance, served as a refuge for enslaved Greeks and resistance fighters.
This secret crypt serves as the entrance to a cave, which was officially documented for the first time in 1956 by Anna Petrocheilou, the “mother” of Greek speleology and founder of the Speleological Society.
It is the beginning of an underground, non-visitable passage, 250 meters long, formed over countless years by water erosion. The lights inside the crypt, however, illuminate only the first 20 meters, discouraging ordinary visitors from exploring further in such an inhospitable and dangerous environment.
