VARLAAM MONASTERY or MONASTERY of ALL SAINTS is a men's monastery in METEORA.
    It is situated at the top of a rocky precipice that is 373 metres above the valley floor.
It is one of the six that continue to be active in METEORA, which since 1988 has been included in the UNESCO world heritage.
   The monastery was founded at the beginning of the 16th century, but was named after the ascetic BARLAAM, who settled on the rock in the 14th century.
   It is known for the important archive it keeps. The monastery was organized by the brothers NEKTARIOS and THEOPHANIS, the so-called APSARADES, from EPIRUS at the beginning of the 16th century.
   In 1518 they renovated the chapel of the THREE HIERARCHS, which had been built by BARLAAM.
   In 1536 the BRIZON TOWER was built. The monastery experienced economic growth and spiritual flourishing.
   The Catholicon of the monastery, dedicated to ALL SAINTS, is a church with an Athonite type cruciform inscription and dates from 1541.
  Its iconography was made in three phases. The earliest hagiographies were created by FRAGOS CATALANOS in 1548.
  The second phase dates from 1566 and is the work of the hagiographers GEORGIOS and FRAGOS KONTARIS.
   The latest hagiographies date from 1780 and 1782, according to a foundation inscription, but were probably small-scale operations.