Monastery of Rousanou @ Meteora, Kalambaka, Greece, Europe

Roussanou Monastery is an Orthodox monastery located in northern Greece, on the plain of Thessaly near Kalambaka, in the valley of the Peneus River. It is part of a group of six monasteries called Monasteries of the Air or Monasteries of the Sky located in Meteora, which have been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988. It is one of two female monasteries located in Meteora. The origin of its name Roussanou or Rousanou, depending on the source, is unknown, although the more probable theory is that it is named after the founder of the first temple in the area. Another theory attributes the foundation of the monastery in 1388 to the monks Nicodemus and Benedict. In 1545 the katholikon, which was dedicated to the transfiguration of Jesus and the figure of Saint Barbara, was rebuilt. In 1757 the monastery became a refuge for Greeks from Trikala fleeing from the Turks. The situation repeated itself in 1897, when it served as a hiding place for several Kalambaka families persecuted after the Greco-Turkish war. During the Second World War the monastery was raided. Many pieces were kept in other monasteries at the time. It reopened in 1971. During the 1980s a major renovation was carried out on the building and in 1988 the monastery was handed over to the nuns. The monastery occupies the entire plateau atop the rock on which it stands. It is built on three floors, with the katholikon, the archontarìke (guest house) and various cells arranged on the ground floor, as well as other cells and auxiliary spaces on the other floors. The church is of the Cross-in-square temple type with a simple structure (narthex and naos with a dome) with Hagiographies from 1560. Access to the monastery is via stairs and two bridges, which were built in the 1930s in place of an old wooden bridge. The monastery is located on the road leading from Kastraki to the other monasteries of Meteora. The monastery is now accessible via stairs and two small bridges. Originally, access to the monastery was via a stairway carved in stone. The wooden bridges were built in 1868 and other steps, made of stone, were carved during the 1930s.