Monastery of Rousanou

The Holy Monastery of Rousanou is located at the Holy Meteora location, near the western road leading from Kalabaka and Kastraki to the monasteries of Meteora. It is built on a vertical cliff about a hundred meters high. The entire plateau top is covered by the building complex, which seems like a natural expansion of the rock, blending with the surrounding environment into a harmonious whole.

It stands in the middle of the stone forest of Meteora with its monasteries. Right across and to the north is the monastery of Varlaam and behind it the monastery of Great Meteoro. To the northwest, the monastery of St. Nicholas Anapafsas while to the southeast the monastery of Holy Trinity and further away the St. Stephen.

Visitors can gaze from the balcony at the ruined monasteries of Pantocrator, Prodromos and Hagia Moni.
In 1868, the abbot Gideon built a wooden bridge, for easier and safer access, while in 1930, with a donation of Dafni Buka from Kastraki, under Metropolitan of Trikki and Stagoi Polycarpos, concrete steps where manufactured along with two small bridges.
The Monastery of Agia Varvara Roussanou is one of the six active monasteries in Meteora. It is dedicated to Agia Varvara (Saint Barbara), honored on December 4th. Its building complex covers the entire terrace of the long rock situated in a beautiful place within the green forest. The monastery was founded in 1529 A.D.by the brothers Ioasaph and Maximos from Ioannina. The katholikon dedicated to the Transfiguration of Christ (Metamorphosis of Sotiros) was built around 1530 A.D. above the ruins of an old Catholic monastery. The frescoes of the temple date back to 1560 A.D. decorated by an unknown artist of the Cretan painting school. In the 19th century, the monastery declined and today it is inhabited only by few monks.