AGHIOS STEPHANOS MONASTERY

If the monastery of Saint-Stéphane is the richest of all the monasteries of the Meteors, it is also the most accessible for tourists. From a distance, it looks like a fortified castle. In fact, this monastery, which today houses a convent of nuns, stands on a rock separated from the mountain by a ravine. It is accessed by a stone bridge.

At the entrance to the monastery, an epigraph mentions the presence, in 1180, of the hermit Jeremiah and the construction, in 1192, of the first buildings on the promontory. The history of the monastery was later marked by the visit, in 1333, of the Byzantine Emperor Andronikos Palaeologist. Enthused by the warm welcome of the monks, he offered the monastery plenty of land and money.

In 1545, the monastery gained its independence from the bishopric of Staghi. 1798 saw the construction of the church of St. Charalambos. In 1850, the monastery built the Constantine School in Kalambaka at its own expense and offered 80,000 gold drachmas for the construction of a secondary school in Trikala. In 1960, the monastery, almost deserted, was transformed into a monastery of nuns, and it has prospered since then.

Visit. The small chapel of Saint-Stéphane, built in the eastern part of the convent, deserves to be visited for its frescoes, even if some have been badly damaged by time and some invaders without mercy. They offer very beautiful representations of saints, including one of the Dominatrix Virgin. On either side of the narthex door stand the angels Gabriel and Michael with the founders of the monastery: Antoine Catacuzène and Phlotéos. The church also houses an episcopal throne and a templum, both made of carved wood.

The church of St. Charalambos is in the shape of a cross surmounted by a central dome and two smaller domes. It is not sure that you can visit it because it is sometimes closed to tourists. It was built in 1798.

The templum is chiselled and bears representations of animals and plants. The episcopal throne and the lecterns are inlaid with mother-of-pearl mosaics. On the floor of the church is carved a relief representing a two-headed eagle, symbol of the protection granted by the Byzantine emperors.

In the refectory, some precious objects are displayed such as post-Byzantine icons, manuscripts, priestly garments... Today, the sisters of Saint-Stéphane teach Byzantine music and religious painting.