The monastery of Madonna of Ampelakiotissa (or Kozitsa) is found above the homonym village, roughly 17 km from Ano Chora. It is surrounded by very tall mountains. South-eastern we found the fir forests of ridge Ailias, with an altitude of 850 m., the mountain group of Ardini with an altitude of 1.734 m. and across the peak of Tsekoyra that is visible from Ano Chora as well.

The monastery was founded in 1456 as the sign above the door of the abbey declares since the time of the monk Theofilos. Inside we found the picture of Virgin Mary, work of Evangelist Loukas which in the old days it was located at the village Ampelakia of Thessalia. After the conquest of Istanbul, the Turks plundered the village and threw the painting in the river Pineios. According to the legend, the painting returned at its place the next day. The Turks throw the painting for second time in the river. When the next day the painting was found again back at the church, the Turks decided to throw it in the river and then burn the church to the ground so that it won’t find a place to return the following day. The traces of the painting were lost for many years, until one shepherd from the village of Kozitsa, saw for three consecutive evenings a blinking light on the mountain side. The third day, on 15 August of 1455, he decided to find the source of that light, and he discovered the painting on the brunches of an old oak tree. Around that old oak tree, that is still there, they built the monastery. The first temple was constructed in 1456 and since 1475 is the home of the ark with the right hand of Saint Polycarpe, the first bishop of Smyrnis.

Near the monastery that over the years it gain a huge fortune, the village was developed and was renamed to Ampelakiotissa. It had woodcraft and silver workshops that functioned until 1920. During the years of revolution against the Turks, the Monastery was a hiding place of chieftains, and a shelter for women and children after the destruction of Mesologgi.

Today the Monastery attends patir Rafail and patir Polycarpe. They have begun restorations in the buildings in order to give life again to the abbey that few years ago had been abandoned and was threatened with collapse.

At the visit at the monastery you should admire the carved in wood iconostasis, with simple decorative representations of vines with grapes, that date from the renovation of the temple back in 1847, as well as the colorful representations on the sides of the temple. All the walls externally are decorated with carved stones representing human heads, trees, lions and other animals. The interior of the temple is simple without murals. You can also see a rare work of art, the Epitaph, which was weaved in 1735 from the famous weaver of Istamboul, Mariora. In the monastery there is also a library with old valuable historical books.