History of the monument
The church of St Ekaterini is located in the old quarter of Karavatias, east of Archimandreiou. It is a Metochion of the monastery of St Ekaterini of Sinai. The original church was built in 1771 and renovated in 1801. The second renovation took place in 1872-1875 with the sponsorship of the wealthy citizens of Ioannina Alexios and Angeliki Papazoglou. Angeliki Papazoglou was among the benefactors that originated from Skamneli, a Zagorian village.
After the death of her husband she spent a fortune on public utility projects in Ioannina and Zagori and donated her home in Ioannina for housing a weaving school. In her will she bequeathed the property to churches and monasteries and the Hatzikonsta hospital who took care of patients suffering from chronic diseases. Ατ a short distance from the north temple entrance door lies the marble tomb of the donors, made by the sculptor G. Brutus in 1902. The Sinaitic metochion kept a copy of the “Achtiname” a document which granted privileges to the monastery of Sinai from the Prophet Muhammad when he sought asylum in the monastery in 625 AD. The document bears as a signature the print of the right palm of the prophet. This document’s presence proved to be salutary during the Ottoman domination. Thanks to this guaranteed immunity of the monastery, the place had been used several times as a refuge for persecuted Christians and as a munitions depot during the Balkan wars. During the German occupation an act of resistance occurred: two youths raised on the bell tower the Greek flag in remembrance of the thirtieth anniversary of the liberation of Ioannina.

Information on the church
The temple is built in the type of three-aisled basilica with a raised loft on the west side. The painting of the church interior is confined to the sanctuary, on the dome in front of it and in individual scenes to the side walls.
The murals are painted by Alexander Damiris, famous from the long fresco scene of the battle in Moulvia Bridge which is on display in the Byzantine museum of Ioannina. The icons of the iconostasis were painted in 1879 by Christos Exarchopoulos. Among the portable temple images stands out that of St Ekaterini with scenes from her life, which is attached to the shrine. The image is crafted/ painted in 1770 by the Kapesovo painter John Athanasiou. The Kapesovo iconographers school was one of the schools developed in the mountain communities of Epirus. A similar school was established by artists who came from the mountain community of Chioniades, Konitsa.