The Holy Monastery of Agios Visarion (Dousikos) is also called the monastery of the Savior of the Great Gates because of its connection with the nearby and now dissolved Byzantine monastery of the 13th century, Porta-Panagia of Trikala Gate.
It was founded between 1527-1535, in the place of the ruins of a monastery of the 13th - 14th century dedicated to Christ. The first Katholikon (major temple) was built by the founder of the monastery who descended from the area, Saint Visarion (feast on 15 September), Archbishop of Larissa and a personality of great scope who, apart from his holiness and modesty, became known for the construction of great works for his time, such as his monastery and the bridges of Korakos in Acheloos, Portaikos and Sarakina in the prefecture of Trikala.
The monastery was one of the rich and active monasteries of the region with realties in Romania, as Saint Visarion is known in the Moldovlachia for the miracles he has done there. The tradition declares that during the period of its prosperity it had 365 monks, Altar (1682) and a rich library at its disposal.
In 1771 and 1820 the monastery was plundered by the Turkish Albanians, while in 1823 after the arrestment and imprisonment of the abbot of the monastery, it was slaughtered and plundered by the soldiers of Soultze Coritza. The monastery suffered more destructions by fire and the bombings of 1943. Today it operates with a few monks and is sanctrum for women, for which, however, a chapel has been built outside the monastery.
The visitor enters through the major entrance, which is located approximately in the middle of the southern side. The main building of the courtyard is the Katholikon (major temple) of the monastery, dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Savior. It is an Athonic-style (style of Mount Athos) temple, to which a narthex(space at the entrance of Christian temples) and out-narthex have been added. Above these spaces, are located the chapel of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary, the chapel of Timios Prodromos (Honorable Forerunner) and the chapel of All Saints’ Day. The great visual hagiography of the Katholikon, a work of the famous painter Tzortzis (of the Cretan School), was completed in November 1557. The wood carving iconostasis of Katholikon is posterior and dates back to 1813.
The Katholikon is surrounded by three-storey buildings with wooden balconies that house the rest of the monastery's activities. On the left of the entrance of the monastery is located the Altar. Many of the original buildings of the monastery, such as the section of the western wing of the cells, had been destroyed and were reconstructed.
The monastery’s memory is celebrated on August 6 (Transfiguration of the Savior) and also on September 15 (Saint Bisarion). The Kara (head of the relic) of Saint Visarion is kept in the monastery.
