Originally founded in the mid-14th century by a hermit named Varlaam, and later rebuilt and expanded between 1517 and 1544 by two brothers and monk-priests, Theophanes and Nektarios Apsarades. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of six active monasteries remaining open to visitors out of the 24 historical sites that once stood here. As of December, 2025, only four are still occupied. We visited all four. It is hard to tell from this angle but this monastery sits on its own column of rock separated from the background where you can see a bit of the parking lot. To get to the entrance takes walking up 195 steps.