Monastery of Kanalon

Set on the slopes of Mount Olympus in north-east Thessaly, the Monastery of Kanalon is a Greek Orthodox convent with deep Byzantine roots. Its full dedication is to the Nativity of the Theotokos, and it stands alongside the monasteries of Agios Dionysios and Agia Triada at Sparmos as one of the mountain's enduring places of worship. Though the precise circumstances of its founding are obscure, the community has long sustained a quiet religious life here. Recognized as a protected building in Greece, it rewards travelers seeking the contemplative atmosphere of a working mountain convent.