On the southern part of Olympus and just 8 kilometers from the village of Karya which administratively belongs to Thessaly region is located the monastery of Kanalon. The monastery is dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary so officially it is called Monastery of the Nativity of the Theotokos of Kanalon
The area has an altitude of 820 meters above the sea level while the distance of the monastery from Leptokarya is 18 kilometers. The name "Kanalon" refers to four small streams that end up to the river of Ziliana that flows the area.
The date of foundation is unknown but according to the tradition the monastery was founded by the monks Damianos and Ioakim either on the 9th or in the 11th century. The first written records though date from the frescoes renovating of the 17th century. Among the most important buildings are the main church dedicated to the Nativity of The Virgin Mary and the chapel of St. Demetrios that dates from 1681.
Since 2001 a female fraternity lives permanently in the monastery and take care of the restoration and renovation works.