St Nicholas Anapausas (Agios Nikolaos Anapafsas)

What St Nicholas Anapausas is

St Nicholas Anapausas is one of Meteora’s six monasteries?. It is the first on the road from Kastraki. Its rooms sit above each other on a narrow rock. The limited space shaped the building. An internal staircase connects the floors.?

The painted church is the main reason to climb. Its frescoes helped establish the style of later post-Byzantine painting.? Meteora became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988?. Its protection covers the rock landscape as well as the monasteries. Choose St Nicholas if you want to spend time looking at religious art. The steep entrance is part of that choice.

A short history

The monastery was founded in the late 14th century?. The chapel of St Anthony belongs to that early period. Fragments of its wall paintings survive.? The name has competing explanations: a benefactor’s name or a place of rest for pilgrims.?

The present church dates from the early 16th century?. Its founders were Dionysius of Larissa and the monk Nikanor. Theophanes the Cretan? painted it in 1527?. The frescoes are his earliest known signed work.? They became a model for later post-Byzantine church painting.

The monastery fell into disuse in the early 20th century?. Restoration by the Archaeological Service followed in the 1960s?. The building preserves the solution to its small rock top: rooms stacked upwards and linked by stairs.

Inside

The main church occupies the second floor?. It has a low dome without windows. In the entrance hall, Adam gives names to the animals on the west wall. The Second Coming fills the north wall.? Some scenes are on the scale of small portable icons. The limited wall space accounts for their size.? Above the doorway into the nave is the painter’s signed inscription.?

Near the entrance are the chapel of St Anthony and a crypt once used for manuscripts and valuables.? Higher rooms include an ossuary and the chapel of St John the Baptist.? The outside balcony faces the surrounding rocks.? Photography inside churches is forbidden.? If photographs are your priority, use the exterior view from the road.

The monastery’s stacked rooms follow the narrow shape of the rock. Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC.

The stair and the way in

The approach involves about 140 steps?. The climb is short and steep. Stairs continue inside between the floors. If steep stairs are difficult for you, choose St Stephen instead. Its entrance is a bridge from the road with no steps.?

For an independent visit, allow about 1 hour? from the road and back. That is an editorial allowance for the climb and a look inside. Meteora Trip’s morning tour gives 20 minutes? inside. Its private morning or sunset tour gives 30 minutes?. Choose the independent visit if you want to linger over the paintings.

Tickets

Fee checked Nov 3, 2026? Bring €5 per person? in cash. Entry costs €5 per adult?. The price sources disagree. Payment is at the monastery door. There are no online tickets or timed slots. Cards are not accepted. A tour booking does not replace the cash payment at the monastery door.

Children under 12? usually enter free. Everyone must cover their shoulders. Women need a skirt below the knee. Men need long trousers. Wrap-around skirts are lent at the gate for women in trousers and men in shorts. Each monastery charges separately. There is no combined ticket.

Closing day and hours

Closing day cross-checked Nov 3, 2026? St Nicholas is closed on Fridays on the timetables we track. Some sources list daily opening, so a Friday visit may find the gate open.? The summer timetable runs from April to October?. Winter runs from November to March?. On Saturdays and Sundays all six monasteries? are open.

For planning, use about 09:30? as the opening time. Great Meteoron closes at 15:00? in summer. The others close at 16:00 or 17:00?. St Nicholas and Holy Trinity stay open latest. For a winter visit check the day’s hours locally. Orthodox feast days can close a monastery without notice. Tours replace a closed monastery with an open one.

How to get there

A taxi from Kalabaka station takes about 15 minutes? to the road below St Nicholas. Taxis wait outside the station. Agree the fare before getting in. From Kastraki the old monks’ path reaches St Nicholas in about half an hour?. The walk from Kalabaka to Kastraki adds about half an hour?.

The public bus around the monasteries was withdrawn in 2024. Plan with a taxi, the paths or a tour.? Check the timetable at the station before relying on it. In winter, plan with a taxi, the paths or a tour.? Free car parks sit below the monasteries. In season they fill by 10:00?. If you are driving, arrive early enough to find a space before the climb.

When to go

Aim for about 09:30? if you want to start here before continuing around Meteora. Choose Saturday or Sunday if you want the choice of all six monasteries?. Friday also closes Varlaam.? If you plan a late visit, check the day’s closing time locally.

If you want to walk up from Kastraki, check the weather on the rock before setting out. Move the walk to another time if rain or heat would make the climb uncomfortable. For sunset after the visit, use the viewpoints on the loop road between Rousanou and St Stephen. They are free.?