The smallest and most intimate of the six active monasteries, Saint Nicholas Anapafsas sits on a low, narrow rock at the entrance to the Meteora complex. Founded in the 14th century, it has a tiny community of monks and a church whose dimensions are dictated by the shape of the pinnacle below it. The ceiling is so low in places that standing visitors must duck.
Despite its modest size, the monastery is artistically significant. The frescoes painted by Theophanes the Cretan in 1527 fill every surface of the main chapel with bold, confident figures rendered in deep reds, blues, and ochres. Because the church is small, you are unusually close to the paintings — close enough to see the brushwork and the expressions on the martyrs' faces. It is less visited than Varlaam or the Great Meteoron, which makes for a more personal experience.