Just outside the village of Stymphalia, almost facing the mythical lake and just before reaching the Museum of the Environment of Stymphalia, visitors encounter the ruins of a grand temple to the southeast of the road. This is the Zaraka Monastery, a building that stands as the sole surviving link to the region’s medieval past.

Turning back to the distant year 1236 AD, a document of Pope Gregory IX, preserved to this day, reveals that in Stymphalia there existed a Frankish Monastery led by Petros of “Saraca.” This refers, of course, to the Cistercian monastery of Zaraka, which appears to have been built in 1223-1224. The document also discloses the monastery’s significance: The Pope charges the abbot with the responsibility of collecting one-tenth of the income from the Latin church of the Peloponnese and delivering it to Geoffrey II Villehardouin for the defense of the Frankish Principality of Achaea.

The monastery seems to have been built as part of the policy implemented by the Franks after the Fourth Crusade and the conquest of Constantinople, when Western monastic orders were invited to settle in Greece.

The choice of the Stymphalia valley as the residence for the Cistercian monks seems to have been primarily influenced by the waters of the lake and, of course, the fertile lands surrounding it. The monastery established in Stymphalia is a “daughter” of Hautecombe in France, which is built on the edge of Lake Bourget, at the foot of the Alps. The Stymphalia valley, surrounded by the peaks of Oligyrtos and Ziria, with a lake, albeit modest, in its center, reminded the Cistercian monks of their homeland and mother abbey. The solitary and majestic scenery resembled what they left behind in their homeland.

According to the principles of their Order, the monks chose tranquil valleys near springs and far from bustling human settlements, and it seems they found their ideal sanctuary in Stymphalia. The waters of the river Stymphalus and its namesake lake, the peaceful, serene bucolic landscape, the rich fertile soils—all contributed to the creation of the Frankish Monastery.

For several years, they lived in complete harmony with the few inhabitants of the area. Using ancient building materials, they constructed an abbey adapted to the typical architecture used in all Cistercian abbeys. However, it seems they were eventually forced to abandon their settlement, as archaeological researchers speculate they did not stay in Stymphalia for more than six decades. Nevertheless, their buildings were used for defensive purposes throughout the Venetian rule until May 1458.

At that time, Mehmed II the Conqueror arrived in the region, coming from Corinth with 80,000 men headed towards the Castle of Sphacteria in Tarsos of Pheneos. The Ottoman soldiers ruthlessly conquered the entire Stymphalia valley, burning and demolishing all Frankish buildings that could be used as fortifications, and massacring many of the area’s inhabitants.

Today, only a few walls remain standing in defiance of time, violence, war, and the ravages they endured. The area retains the magic and charm that attracted the settlers of monks about eight centuries ago, and within the precincts of the Frankish monastery, a music festival is held every year during the full moon of July.

The mystique of the place, the medieval ruined walls with their pointed windows, and the ruins of ancient temples used as building materials create a unique, fairy-tale setting. There, with the notes of music and the play of light and shadow, visitors are transported through time and space, captivated by the eternal dance of the universe!