The assembly of the monastery of “Mother Merciful” is just within a short distance from the monastery of Philanthropinon and Diliou. It was originally dedicated to St Nicholas whilst since 16th century is referred to as monastery of Gkioyma or Gkioymaton after the homonymous family mainland of Venice, which had benefitted the monastery. According to others the monastery is dedicated since 1484 to Monastery of Panagia Eleousa.
The renaming happened because of the transfer of the miraculous icon of Virgin Eleousa which originally was housed in the monastery of St Paraskevi in Ioannina which had been converted into a mosque in 1484 (mosque Namaz Gkiach). The icon of Panagia Eleousa was considered to be miraculous and was stored in the narthex of the church. It was a work of the Cretan School of the 14th-15th century silver plated made in 1769 by the Kalarrytian priest Diamantis.
The monastery had experienced great prosperity during the second half of the 19th century under the supervision of abbot Abbakum. Monk Abbakum was common abbot both of the monastery of Merciful and Transfiguration and founder of Abbakoumeian Seminary that was founded in 1872 and operated for 50 years. After the liberation of Epirus from the Ottomans, the seminary kept operating in the period 1924-1929.
