The Holy Monastery of Rousanou is situated on the southeastern side of the Great Meteoron monastery and between the Varlaam and the Holy Trinity Monasteries. Above Kalambaka and the village Kastrak, visitors come to terms with the first monastery, the monastery of Saint Nickolas Anapafsas, a monastery that lies on their left hand side.

The monastery of Rousanou stands just before us on a spectacular vertical cliff of the stone forest of Meteora.

 The complex of buildings covers the entire top of the cliff.  Visitors and pilgrims may enjoy the grandeur and magic that the unique Meteorite landscape has to offer them from up there.

In the background, the Mount Koziakas, the River Pineios and the village Diava are clearly discernible. Until 1897, the ascent to the monastery was carried out by means of ladders. Later on, two wooden bridges had been employed to serve the monks and the visitors.

 Today, the ascent to the monastery premises is achieved through a flight of stairs made of cement and two small bridges, constructed in 1930, which had been donated to the monastery by a local resident named Laurel Bouka.

 There is no verifiable evidence to justify the name of the monastery. It is possible that the monastery has been named after the first owner of the original church (14^th -15^th century).  The monastery had not been inhabited until 1388 AD by the monks Nicodemus and Benedict. Historical resources have not been established so far.

 At the beginning, the monastery functioned as a priory by the monk brothers Maximus and Iosafath from Ioannina.

 The monastery was built on the ruins of older facilities in the middle of the 14^th – 15^th century. It started functioning as soon as it received the blessing of the Bishop of Larisa, Bessarion the second and the consent of the Abbot of the Monastery of the Great Meteoron. They erected the holy monastery of the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ and gave its current shape. They also built cells for the monks and supplementary rooms on the floors.

 The monastery consists of a three-storey complex. On the ground floor, there are cells with reception rooms, the Archontariki and other supplementary facilities located on the rest of the floors.

 The Katholikon of the monastery is a dikioni crossed church with a tall dome, a domed Narthex and a flat wooden Iconostasis.

 The Monastery has great murals in a style that belongs to the Cretan School and to our church’s historical and doctrinal area.

 The inscription above the entrance of the monastery informs us that the paintings were made in 1560 AD. with the venerable Abbot’s assistance and maintained in a good condition despite the unrelenting passage of time.
In the 1980s, there had been a major renovation and restoration of the monastery under the supervision of the 7^th Inspectorate of the Byzantine Antiquities.  

Today, the monastery serves as a nunnery.   

 The temple is dedicated to the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ and simultaneously the memory of Saint Barbara which is reverently honored on December 4th.

 In times of national distress and during the dark ages of the Turkish occupation several residents of Kalambaka and Trikala turned to the monastery to get saved. 

 Today, the monastery‘s brotherhood is following a coenobitic way of life according to the prearranged Orthodox monastic norms and under the consistent guidance of our spiritual leaders.

 The practice of monastic life complies with the requirements set by our holy Fathers and the Orthodox Church and constitutes the members’ of this monastery primary concern. 

There is some social activity and visitors’ spiritual support offered by the nuns who draw their strength from the miraculous grace of the Saint.

Translation by Christine Boutsia

There is some social activity and visitors’ spiritual support offered by the nuns who draw their strength from the miraculous grace of the Saint.