One of the most important ascetic retreats of Mount Varassova is located on this steep side, near the top, whence one has a view stretching from the Evinos river to Kato Vassiliki. It consists of three cave-like hollows set in a row, which constitute a monastic complex of the Middle Byzantine period. There are no written sources on them, and therefore it has not been systematically investigated. A church was located at the mouth of the central cave, while the adjacent areas were used for the daily needs of the monks. It seems that the complex could support 6-12 people. Neighbouring caves do not preserve any evidence of organization and, in the absence of areas given over for sleeping, the central cave could have functioned as a Kyriakon, i.e. the main church of a skete (a dispersed monastic community), where the ascetics scattered across north-eastern Varassova would have gathered for Sunday Mass.
Two building phases can be distinguished in the existing remains. The first is the single-roomed, arched-roofed church, measuring 3.60 x 4.50 m. The second is an extension and renovation of the entrance to the ascetarium by a staircase. The complex was defined by a defensive wall, outside of which a small cemetery extended. Beyond the entrance there are also remains of a built arched-roofed cistern.
Today, four frescoed representations survive inside the cave, in poor condition due to dampness and the subsequent interventions they have been subject to. They depict the Transfiguration, Pentecost, with the twelve Apostles enthroned in a row and the Holy Spirit descending in the form of fiery tongues, the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, with two angels in imperial robes and scepters on either side of the cross. The figures show strong archaic elements and are characterized by soft folds in their raiment.
The painted decoration shows the stylistic character called ‘Cappadocian’, which prevailed outside the Cappadocian region between the 9th and the 12th centuries. More specifically, according to Professor Ath. Paliouras, it seems that Cappadocian or Asia Minor painters travelled to lower Italy at the invitation of the Greek monasteries there, following the Corinth–Patras sea route. The itinerant painters would probably also have disembarked at some station in Varassova and stayed on to paint in the caves – ascetaria of the region. The work done in this cave probably belongs, in his opinion, to the early post-iconoclastic period, and mainly to the 10th to 11th centuries. On the other hand, the academician P. Vokotopoulos believes that they are the work of a provincial workshop and probably date only to the 13th-14th centuries.
