Proussos Monastery

Proussos stands where the Karpenisiotis gorge narrows to a slot, its buildings built onto and into the rock face with the church partly inside a cave. Tradition dates the foundation to the ninth century around an icon of the Virgin brought from Prousa in Asia Minor, and the monastery has been damaged and rebuilt more than once, though the church keeps frescoes of the thirteenth century and of 1518. The approach is the memorable part: the road from Karpenisi clings to the gorge wall, passing through short unlit tunnels blasted from the rock, with the river far below and the two old towers known as Karaiskakis's towers on the crags. Beside the monastery a bridge crosses to a path into the gorge, and the village of Proussos has a few guesthouses.

The main sights

• The cliff-set monastery - buildings pressed against and into the rock.
• The cave church - the sanctuary built partly inside the cliff.
• The gorge road - rock tunnels and drops on the approach from Karpenisi.
• The old towers - fortified remains on the crags above the complex.

When to go

May to October, when the road is clear and the gorge green; winter brings ice and rockfall risk on the tunnels road. The monastery observes a midday closure and services.

Practical notes

The road is genuinely narrow with blind bends and unlit tunnels; nervous drivers will not enjoy it. Much of the complex has been rebuilt, and photography inside the church is not allowed. The visit itself is short.

Nearby

The Panta Vrechei gorge is further south; Karpenisi and its valley lie north.

Key facts