Memorial Holy Cross Monastery (Doliana)
Memorial Holy Cross Monastery (Doliana)
The temple of the Holy Cross is located 1.5 km from the village Doliana and 2 km from the community Krania Aspropotamos.
The area of Kranias and generally Pindos by Aspropotamos as the Samarina and Metsovo in Trikala region is Koutsovlachikon villages where older residents still speak the Vlach language. The data relating to the history of the church are minimal, and those that are constituting the history of the monument from the 19th century. onwards.
First written mention of the monument are two documents of 1839 (firman) and 1841 (Worldwide), relating to renovation and rebuilding of the temple. The Temple of the Cross, was part of the monastery of 1770 (the oral tradition dating to 1630), which is recorded as the monastery of Agios Nikolaos and now the locals call it the Holy Monastery Zone. This part of the monastery of the same monastery was even a chapel dedicated to Saint Nicholas, who were nearby. Of these three institutions which are dependencies of the Monastery of St. Stephen's Meteora, survives intact only the church of the Cross while the other two as well as other monuments in the surrounding villages were destroyed in 1943 by a severe attack of the Germans.
The Temple of the Cross is characterized by the peculiar architecture. It consists of a domed and polykoncho nave and the narthex demolished today. The nave has a basilica plan with three semicircular arches on the east side and three arches, each long side of which is sized dance floor. The temple is covered with slate roof, above which rise 12 domes and trouliskoi built. Inside the sanctuary is shaped synthronon and episcopal throne.
The church's interior is not covered with masonry and thus without paintings, thus highlighting the stone character. The founder of the church, according to an inscription on stone reliefs is Gianousios Gkougkouzis the village Ventista (current Amaranth) Aspropotamos.