A few kilometres south of the centre of Arta, on a hillside above the Arachthos as it flows down towards the Ambracian Gulf, sits the thirteenth-century Kato Panagia monastery. Like the Parigoritissa, it was founded by the despots of Epirus, and like them it survives in good condition: a single-aisled domed church surrounded by a low monastic enclosure.
The interior is covered with extensive late Byzantine frescoes, much of them in their original colours. The monastery is still occupied by a small community of nuns who keep the church open during the day and sell small icons and beeswax candles at the gate. A short visit pairs naturally with the Bridge of Arta on the same drive out of town.