Chrisa Melkidi Source: CETI © Eastern Macedonia ? Thrace Region

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Feres is the Byzantine Vira, a settlement that was created during the compulsory emigration of whole villages around a monastery, the Vira monastery, contrasted to the usual procedure of establishment and development of settlements around a castle. It is an exceptional sample of Byzantine church architecture, devoted to Madonna, belonging to the architectural type of the cross shaped church with dome. Around the central church of the monastery there are cells and baths for the monks, mensa sacra, the library with the sacrarium, habitation of the literate Isaakios Michail, the castle with its bells and the water vessel. All these surrounded by an internal precinct. External, fortressing precinct also include the chapel of St. Prokopios, the Metropolite?s residence, the hostel and the baths for the neighbors and visitors. The Byzantine mains are an important monument of architecture that brought water to the monastery from a distant spring and was built on the ancient river Samias. It has two grand arches with an opening of 7 m, height in 5 m and width in 1.30 m, made of limestone and mud bricks and built by Isaakios Komninos.

Source: http://www.culture.gr.