The Monastery of Proussos is one of the most dramatically sited religious buildings in Greece, wedged into a vertical cliff face above the Karpenisiotis river gorge about 25 kilometres southwest of Karpenisi. The monastery dates to the ninth century, though the current buildings are mostly post-Byzantine and post-fire restorations. The approach road winds through increasingly steep gorge scenery, and the final sight of the white monastery walls emerging from a rock overhang is genuinely startling.
Inside, the monastery keeps an icon of the Virgin said to date from the Byzantine period and credited with healing miracles, which draws pilgrims from across Greece particularly around the Feast of the Assumption in August. Outside pilgrimage season, Proussos is peaceful and the monks are welcoming to visitors. The church interior is decorated with post-Byzantine frescoes, and the cliff setting and the river below make it an excellent half-day excursion from Karpenisi.