Arta
Arta, the second largest town in Ipiros, is 360 km from Athens. The
town is known for its famous stone bridge, the largest and oldest
in Greece and for the numerous Byzantine monuments in and around the
town. The Arta Bridge is on the outskirts of the town and spans the
River Arahthos. Inside the town stands the large church of Panagia
Parigoritissa (built in the 13th century), unique in style throughout
Greece because it contains several elements of Western architecture
in its interior and has a peculiar system of supports for its dome.
Nowadays the church is used as a museum exhibiting finds belonging
to various periods. The town's ancient theatre and its fortress have
also survived. Other churches belonging to Byzantine times, sited
in the town of Arta, are those of Agion Theodoron which contains very
attractive capitals and Agios Vasilios with excellent ceramic exterior
decoration. At small distances in the surroundings of Arta, there
is the Monastery of Kato Panagia, the Monastery of Vlachairnon and
the churches of Agios Demetrios Katsoulis and Panagia Rodia, all belonging
to the period when Ipiros was under Despotic rule (13th century).
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