The small church of Analipsis (Ascension of Christ) is located on a hill overlooking the sea, in the southeast of the Filiatra townlet. The coastal area of Filiatra flourished during the early Byzantine period and has been continuously inhabited until the modern times. The church of Analipsis is one of the most important monuments of the region; it dates to the third quarter of the 13^th century, but it is presumably founded on an existing larger building.

The church is of the cross-vaulted architectural type which is characterized by a barrel vault, interrupted by a second transverse and highly placed barrel-vault. The inner faces of the side walls are articulated with arcades, which support the cross-vault. Most of the building’s upper part and almost all of its vaults were collapsed, due to the strong earthquake that struck Filiatra region in 1886. The monument was, hence, restored, mainly on the superstructure. The initial parts of the walls were built of roughly carved limestones framed by bricks (cloisonné masonry). Special attention was put in the construction of the apse.

The wall-paintings of the church are only partially preserved. The first layer is dated right after the construction of the monument, presumably in the last quarter of the thirteenth century, comprising of indiscernible, isolated figures of unidentified saints and fragmentary representation of the Ascension on the vault above the altar. The Communion of Mary of Egypt next to remains of wall-paintings, whose subject is impossible to be identified, occupies the northeast drum of the nave. The central apse of the sanctuary carries the representation of the Virgin and Child, which dates to the 17^th-18^th century.

In 2011, the project “Rehabilitation of the Holy Church of Analipsis at Filiatra” was introduced into the priority axe no. 012 “Sustainable Development and Quality of Life – Peloponnese” of the Regional Operational Programme of “Western Greece, Peloponnese and Ionian Islands 2007-2013” with a budget of 105.000€. The project was implemented under the auspices of the 26^th Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities and lasted twenty months (May 2012 – December 2013).

The project included:

• Fieldwork and excavation. A rock-cut tomb was discovered west of the church. It enclosed a burial and a translation of relics. The scull of the deceased was framed by a built limestone cadre. A closed vessel was placed between the femurs.
• Installation of metal beams to reinforce the stability of the monument.
• Joint-filling and grouting.
• Reconstruction of the tiled roofs.
• Reconstruction of the floor with stone slabs.
• Conservation and consolidation of the wall-paintings.
• Installation of new wooden door frames and a wooden templon screen
• Drainage and landscaping.
• Installation of an informative sigh and another with an extract of text in Braille.
• Edition of a leaflet.

The restoration and conservation of the church of Analipsis at Filiatra provided new insight into the history of one of the most prominent byzantine monuments of Trifylia.