The church of the Virgin Mary of Rodia was originally built in 970 and became widely known as the “Rose that never fades” thanks to an icon of the Mother of God that adorned the original edifice. Virgin Mary is the rose bush from which came the rose that never fades, Jesus Christ. The church was part of a wealthy monastic complex who extensive properties included much fertile farmland and entire villages. All this wealth attracted the attention of greedy Ottoman officials, who gradually confiscated the land. The monastery declined and the church was ruined. In 1860 it was rebuilt with the use of carefully cut stones and a slender dome that is unique in Epiros.