The church “Panagia in Rapsomati” is located near the Astronomical Observatory of Kryoneri and was probably the central church of the village in the 17th century. It is an old tile-roofed church in basilica style, built in a beautiful landscape. It was a parish church of Rapsomati until about 1830 when this village existed. Today it belongs to the many chapels of our village. We do not know when exactly it was built. As expressed in the book by George Nikolaou, Kryoneri (Matsani) Korinthia History and daily life: Contribution to the Study of Mountain Settlements of Greece (2021), testimonies state that it was built during the years of the Turkish occupation by two brothers called Rapsomatiotes. These brothers were Christians and came from Asia Minor. When they came to Rapsomati they lived above the village which then had 30 houses. One of the two brothers was an officer and was on good terms with the Pasha of the Peloponnese, without revealing to him that he was a Christian. Because the village had no church, he begged for permission to build a church so that the believers could worship. Indeed, the Pasha allowed it and they built a small and low church. But when he learned that he was a Christian, he killed the two brothers. This oral tradition, although lacking a confirmed historical source, has some elements of truth. In the past the church was rather low, but at the beginning of the 20th century it was renovated and its walls were raised with money sent by the immigrants from Kryoneri living in America, by the builders Emmanuel Praxoulis and George Vangelopoulos from Macedonia. In the period 1972 – 1998 with money donated by villagers, railings were built next to the church, a guest house and a large pilgrimage shrine at the entrance to the church’s courtyard. Recently the church was again renovated and landscaped. The Divine Mass is always celebrated here on the feast of the Ascension, but also a few other celebrations during the year.
