The upper part of town where touching the foothills of Meteora is a very old and strange church, the Assumption, which has a cypress tree behind the altar, which, many say, is there before the 17th century.
The church was built in the 9th century as a cathedral of the diocese. Others say it is the 13th century, while according to another version, earlier. It is built on a temple of Apollo. At one point in front of the temple left, seen from a len window beneath a piece of ancient mosaic floor!
The church has a tall bell tower with a beautiful courtyard patio, which overlooks the middle of a monopodo marble table (altar). Inside the church is decorated with wall paintings from different periods throughout the 14th century, and supplements were in the 16th century, mainly by Cretan painters. It is one of the three paradoxes Orthodox churches have different kind of an arrangement in place of the pulpit, located majestically in the middle of the church and the cloisters of the columns from the temple. This does not happen in any other Orthodox church in Greece! In the sanctuary, the altar is based also on a marble column with a housing (built before the 11th century) with arches, arches, plain capitals bearing ornamental crosses and vine leaves.
East in the apse of the sanctuary there is the old throne, namely semicircular tiers, having in the middle Despotiko.
It is said that where the High Priest, where he sat, watched over the flock, since there was neither old nor temple housing.
Most important of all images is donated to the church, the Emperors John and Theodora Cantacuzenos, which is double sided. On the one hand depicts the Virgin Mary and the other the Crucifixion.
Also, the depth of the eastern side is a silent sarcophagus, which has a walled grave ... probably belonged to the person who built the Church or one of those who opened, as I said Mama Koula, the kantilanaftissa.
A second similar cover of the sarcophagus lid was the sacristan when hiding valuables of the church. Many say that there's kept what remained of the treasures of the ancient temple. Another secret of the temple is that the position of the left Chanter is the crypt that leads off elsewhere .. in secret paths of the stone forest and is said to have saved a lot of people into bloody enemies ...
The most extraordinary of all was until recently in celebration of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, ie the second Lilac Easter or summer ..
The girls of the neighborhood used to wash the church Sunday before the feast. After the operation wore many more than a veil to fold the braids to not cut their (so funny was the custom). Many people slept after Vespers waiting to wake up there for the feast of Our Lady. The women made and offered nine pies, breads and embroidered Panagopsoma, boiled eggs, grilled Kokotou (roosters). But nobody started the feast unless the deer came ... Every time it appeared a festive "vitouli" deer came from the "big woods" (now there is the village of Deer). Stood in the churchyard, cut two or three walks around the table and left to perish resting on the marble! The sacrifice is always one of the church council and then baked, divides families and ate in a frenzied celebration. Each time the spirit of the deer and sent a deer sacrificed. One year, however, the deer took a look. When looked sweaty, people from impatience to not let him go round the altar, to play and affectionately with them. The seized as it was buried under an avalanche, the slaughtered and ate hastily. The following year, the deer did not appear and as they came back not ever understand, why people have challenged the spirit of the deer!