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The dining hall is housed on the first floor of the west wing of the Monastery, south of the tower, and is connected to the kitchen, which was built in the 16th century. It was moved to this location from the ground floor of the same wing, specifically from the area which is used today for storage. The hall was painted in 1749, according to a surviving inscription, by the hieromonks Serafeim, Cosmas and Ioannikos, artists who came from Giannena. The cost of the painting was paid by the monk Timotheos from Limnos, who is portrayed on the eastern wall as the donor.
In 1866, the western wall of the dining hall was rebuilt because it had collapsed. It was painted in 1980 by the monk Cyrillos of Pantocratoras, at the expense of the hieromonk Stephan (Kounios) from Limnos.
After the re-establishment of the cenobitic system in the Monastery, the dining hall and the old kitchen were renovated and put into service again in 1995.

The chapels outside the Monastery are as follows:
a) St. Athanasios of Agios Oros, an old one-room, chapel with an arched roof located in front of the south wing of the Monastery at the edge of the cliff. This is one of the most significant of the original buildings, and functioned as the cemetery church until 1771. Its basement is still used today as a crypt. Inside the chapel, some of the sections of the original marble icon screen have survived, along with the inlaid marble floor.
b) Sts Onofrios and Petros of Agios Oros, located in the Seat of the same name a short distance north of the Monastery, where according to tradition, St Kallistos I, Patriarch of Konstantinople, and St Theonas, Metropolitis of Thessaloniki, lived as ascetics.
c) Great Athanasios, who according to tradition, is connected with the selection of the location for the foundation of the Monastery through a miraculous intervention by the icon of Panagia Gerontissa, as mentioned previously. One inscription has survived, confirming the renovation of the chapel in 1638.
d) St Trifon, located in the Seat of the same name, dates to the 17th century.
e) The Holy Anargyroi (i.e., 'they who serve without being paid'), located in the Seat of the same name, today serves as the cemetery church of the Monastery, and dates to 1771.
f) The Holy Apostles, located in the Seat of the same name.
g) St. Anna, which today is in ruins, is located in the Seat of the same name.

Eight chapels are located within the Monastery, and another seven outside it.
The seven chapels inside the Monastery are:

a) St. Nikolaos, located at the northern wing of the Monastery, north of the central gate. It was built in the 16th century, and renovated and decorated with frescoes in 1857, while the gilded and carved wooden icon screen dates to the 19th century.

b) The Dormition of the Virgin Mary, located inside the Cathedral and part of the northeastern section of the entrance hall. The chapel is considered to be one of the original structures at the Monastery.

c) Sts. Andreas and Ioannikios, located at the northeastern corner of the Monastery, was renovated in 1781. According to an inscription on the northern exterior wall, the Sacristans Cyrillos and Georgios sponsored both the rebuilding of this chapel and also that of the entire north wing in the same year.

d) The Blessed Archangels, which was renovated the same year as the above-mentioned chapel, is located close to the Director's office. The Cyrillos mentioned in an inscription commemorating the donor is identified as the Sacristan Cyrillos, who also financed the reconstruction of the previously-described chapel.

e) St. Georgios, originally located in the east wing, was decorated with frescoes, and had a carved wooden icon screen. It was destroyed by the fire of 1948, and rebuilt on the third floor of the north wing in 2000.

f) The Ascension, located on the fifth floor of the tower. This chapel had been destroyed during the period of pirate raids during the 16th and 17th centuries. According to tradition, the fathers of the Monastery who had taken refuge there were slaughtered. The chapel was recently renovated, together with the tower.

g) St John the Baptist, located in the west wing, where an old tower once stood. It probably stood at the top of the tower during the Byzantine period, while in 1750, when the height of the tower was truncated, the chapel was rebuilt with grants from Prior Markianos, who is portrayed as praying in the icon of St Markianos on the wood-carved icon screen. It was decorated with frescoes in 1819 by the Galatsanos brothers Makarios and Benjamin, and sponsored by Christos Hatzi of Magnesia, whose portrait appears on the north wall of the chapel.

h) St Panteleimonos, located in the tower above the gate to the Monastery.

Apart from the ancient chapel of the Dormition, the existence of the so-called Tomb of the Founders at the north wall is also significant. It was moved there in 1847, formerly being located in the chapel of the Three Heirarchs. According to Gerasimos Smyrnakis, although the tomb is a cenotaph, it does contain skeletal remains of 'not only large-, but also small-sized bodies,' a fact that leads to the conclusion that it might be the family tomb of the founders. The pseudo-sarcophagus decorated with crosses, birds, and trees which was placed in the Tomb dates to the 14th century, and is found today on the balcony at the entrance to the tower.
More recent decorations are depicted on the Tomb itself, dating to the period of the repainting of the frescoes in the cathedral. According to Porfurio Ouspensky who visted the Monastery in 1846 (i.e. prior to the renovations of 1847) and in 1859 (when the repainting of the Cathedral was carried out by the well-known painter Mathaios Ioannos), three inscriptions above the tomb are repeated, but with several differences from the inscriptions that were above the Tomb of the Founders when that was still located within the chapel. It is worth noting that these refer to the actual identity of the founder Alexios and do not connect his person with the Emperor Alexios Comninos, while, however, mentioning the two brothers' roles as founders.

The northeastern area of the entrance hall includes the chapel of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, which is considered to be one of the original structures. According to an inscription on the lintel of the western entrance, some sections of its frescoes date to 1538, the period when an artist of the Cretan School (perhaps even Theofanis of Crete himself) worked. It is possible that the frescoes on the exterior western wall uncovered during the previous years' renovations belong to him.
The recent frescoes were part of the work which took place in 1868, funded by 'a grant and subscription of the venerable monks Isuchios and Isaios of the respected monastery of Pantokratoros, through the hands of the hieromonk Benjamin and the late hieromonk Gregorios.' This work involved the repainting of older frescoes dating probably to the 15th century, parts of which are visible in the arch of the Sanctuary.
Since 1982, the icon screen of the chapel includes the miraculous icon of St Georgios of Faneromenos. The saint acquired this epithet due to a miracle he performed: He protected the icon and the monks in the Cell named in his honour in the region of Kapsalas, where it originally belonged, from thieves. According to the tradition, the icon was housed in the monastic community of St. Georgios of Plakari. During the period of Ottoman rule, thieves, pretending to be travellers, intended to enter the community to loot it. A youth met them at the entrance and, after escorting them outside, disappeared, leaving the thieves paralysed all through the night. The next morning, the monks were surprised to find the thieves who, terrified by their night-long paralysis, related the event to them. Subsequently, they identified the face depicted in the miraculous icon as being the same as that of the youth they had met. According to the same tradition, not only did the thieves repent, but one of them was inducted as a monk into the Cell of Plakari, while another joined the Skete of St Anna.

The area of the entrance hall (Λιτή or Εσωνάρθηκα; Liti, Exovarthika, 'Outer nave'), west of the central nave is connected to it via a classical style marble door, with another door on each side. This is the main entrance to the cathedral. Important interventions in the entrance hall were made during the renovations of 1847, work which was performed by the master craftsman from Tinos, Chatz-Adonis Lytras, the father of the great artist Nikiforos Lytras, with funding from the Archimandrite of the Monastery Meletios Katsoranos of Kydonieos, according to surviving inscriptions on the outer lintel.
At that time, the two pre-existing small naves were combined, and a common roof with three domes supported by marble columns was added. In addition, the chapel of the Three Heirarchs was demolished. The chapel had stood at the right side of the entrance hall, where the Tomb of the Founders was located and where magnificent frescoes by Theofanos of Crete had been painted. As part of the renovation program, the frescoes were repainted, as witnessed by a second inscription above the lintel of the main door connecting the entrance hall with the nave.
At the beginning of the 18th century, an open gallery was added to enclose the entrance hall from west and south. The square-shaped bell tower is set in the area between the chapel of the cemetery and the north wall of the entrance hall, and based on the tiles at its summit, dates to 1735. The oldest bell of the tower dates to 1610, and is decorated with images of saints. According to notes by Barsky, the bell tower also had a clock, the mechanism for which survives until today.

In 1614, significant renovation work were undertaken in the area of the Sanctuary, which was extended about five meters to the east, while at two of its corners, the northeastern and the southeastern, two polygon-shaped, dome-covered rooms (typicaria) were constructed.
The nave is separated from the area of the Sanctuary by the exceptionally crafted carved and gold-plated wooden τέμπλο (templo, or 'icon screen'), the third in the history of the cathedral, which was made in 1614 by Chrysanthos Cliedi, and is decorated with floral themes. The functional role of the icon screen is provided by an exceptionally important document, not only because it contains chronological details and information about the craftsmen who constructed it, but also because, according to the archaeologist I. Papangelo, it is the first documented use of the term templo to denote the use of this type of architectural element to physically separate the sanctuary from the rest of the nave.
The primary decoration of the screen consists of two magnificant icons: Χριστού Παντοκράτορος (Pantokratoros, 'Christ the Ruler of All') and the Θεοτόκου της «Πάντων Χαράς ('The Blessed Mother, the Joy of All)', works of Theofanos of Crete (1535-1546). The icon of Τιμίου Προδρόμου ('St John the Baptist'), with its scenes from his life and martyrdom, was donated in 1655 by the monk Adonios of Chilandarino. Another significant icon is that of the Archangels, at the right of the Pantokratoros icon, which dates to the 17th century and is the oldest surviving portable icon. Scenes depicting miracles performed by the archangels are presented around the perimeter of the icon, with particular attention paid to the four scenes depicting the miracle at the Docheiarios Monastery.
Icons of the twelve apostles decorate the second zone of the screen, while the top section is dominated by the remarkably large-sized Εσταυρωμένος (Estavromenos, 'The crucified One'), a work of a Cretan workshop from the end of the 16th century. Related icons from this workshop, Τα Λυπηρά ('The Mourners', the left and right side panels of the Estavromenos, depicting the mourning Blessed Mother and St John the Theologian) are presently safeguarded in the Sacristy of the Monastery.
The gold-plated, carved wooden doors of the screen are the work of the monk Isaia, and are decorated with 31 small images of prophets and apostles, as well as with the scenes from the Crucifixion and the Annunciation. They date to 1622, according to the relevant records.
Inside the Sanctuary, the wood-carved, pillar-supported κιβώριο (ciborium, 'canopy') above the marble altar dominates the space. On its interior surface, scenes from the 'Heavenly Liturgy' are depicted.

The original church was officially opened around 1363. The marble inscription which today is engraved into the stairway leading from the outer entrance of the church to the bell tower: 'Lord, remember thy servants Alexios and Ioannios, the owners and brothers. Dedicated in the year 1363.'
Four marble columns support the central dome, simultaneously forming the northern and southern dome-topped apses. To the left and right of the nave, at approximately its centre, two marble shrines are located. The shrines, completed in 1896, are the work of the sculpture Georgios Filippotis from Tinos, and were gifts from the monks Akindinos of anti-Andros and Theofilos of Lesbos.
It is worth noting that the presence of the large (1.96 x 0.76 metres) icon in the central nave is truly unique, since it depicts the Blessed Mother full length, with her right hand open in a gesture of open-heartedness, in the Αγιοσορείτισσας (Agiosoreitissas, 'Holy woman') style. According to the Monastery tradition, the icon had been brought from Konstantinople by the owners at the time the physical foundations of the cathedral were being laid. They placed the icon at the spot they had chosen, and the work began. The next morning, however, the icon was found at the location where the Monastery stands today. The workers replaced the icon in its original location and continued work. The next day, the icon was once again found in the present-day location of the Monastery. After a third repetition of this miracle, the owners built the Monastery in the location which had been chosen by Panagia. The original location selected by the owners has been identified as the spot where the chapel of the Great Athanasios exists today, approximately 500 meters northwest of the Monastery.
According to tradition, the silver embellishment of the icon, which had been made in Moscow in 1847, was a gift of a noblewoman from Konstantinople who had been asked by Panagia to donate it.
Yet another shrine, next to the marble shrine on the right of the nave where the icon of the festal saint is situated, was dedicated by the hieromonk Anthimos of Sifnos in 1716. It is decorated with inlaid ivory and tortoise-shell, and is recorded in relevant documents as having been made in Kaffa (Theodosias-Theodosioupolis).

The cathedral was built in the northern section of the courtyard and is dedicated to the Metamorphoseos tou Sotiros ('The Transfiguration of the Saviour'). As is well known, this feast is connected directly to the teaching about the appearance of miraculous light reported by St Gregory of Palamas and the other cloistered clerics during the 14th century, a few decades prior to the founding of the Monastery. It is not coincidental, therefore, that a number of Catholic monasteries which were founded during that period were also dedicated to the Transfiguration. Architecturally, the church follows the plan of the triangular, cruciform plan characteristic of the Athonite churches, with one basic difference: The elongation of the eastern vault and the addition of two polygonal structures (typikaria) to the two corners of the sanctuary make the shape of the cathedral unique.
On the basis of various first-hand accounts as well as recent archaeological research, the lead-roofed cathedral acquired the form it has today after three construction phases. The first dates to the period of the founding of the Monastery, and included the central nave, the eastern section of the entrance nave, and the chapel of the Κοιμήσεως της Θεοτόκου ('The Dormition of the Virgin Mary').

The first glimpse of the Monastery which the pilgrim gets as he descends the agricultural road approaching from Karyes is the impression of a well-fortified castle, ruled over by the iconic tower of its defenders, while the exterior structures seem to be trying to protectively hide the cathedral and the other interior buildings. This obviously defensive arrangement reminds one of the historic 'adventures' of the Monastery which, mainly during the critical period of its founding, but also for all the years of the Ottoman period, had to face a variety of enemies and raiders.
Everyone who has been involved with the architecture of the Monastery defines its shape as being irregular or polygonal. This most likely results from the construction interventions and extensions which were done over the course of the centuries to such a degree, in fact, that it is hard to believe that “The buildings within the compound which we see today date basically to the 17th and 18th century.” Thus, it is theorized that the original building construction must be confined to the northwestern section of today's building complex and to the cathedral, surrounded by the rooms of the monks. According to more recent evidence, the extension of the buildings toward the southeast probably dates from between 1483 to1535, a view which has been confirmed by the relevant references of Barsky and Komnino that the “new courtyard” of the Monastery is the work of Barboulou.
The buildings are not higher than three floors, and are characterized on the interior by well-built roofed arcades and rich ceramic decoration, while on the exterior, wooden balconies and sachnisia (i.e., enclosed balconies with windows) offer an exceptional view of the sea or the sheer peak of Mt Athos.
The main entrance to the Monastery is found on the southwestern corner, where a small, low, square tower stands. The Chapel of St Panteleimonos is located on the top floor of this tower, and this tower also had cannons and other means of defense, which are shown in engravings depicting the Monastery. Directly aligned with this and in front of the entrance to the Monastery is a gate, supported on two pillars and two columns. To the right of the gates, there is a marble fountain filled by a natural spring of fresh water. The fountain was built as part of the renovation work done at the end of the 18th century. That work was financed by grants from Cyrillos and Georgios, as can be seen in an engraved inscription. (According to the inscription, Cyrillos was the Sacristan of the Monastery.)
At the edge of the sheer cliff a few metres north of the gates, there is a square pavilion, which is depicted in the plans of the Monastery made by Barsky in 1744. From there, visitors can enjoy a singular view towards the sea, the neighboring Stavronikita Monastery, and in the distant horizon, the rocky peak of Mt. Athos.
The north side of the cathedral is visible to a visitor entering the courtyard area of the Monastery, which slopes upward at this point. However, this area did not always have the shape that it has today: According to Barsky, there were two small courtyards, separated with a wall. The purpose of the wall was to separate the Brothers of the Monastery from the craftsmen and workers who lived in the area of the first small yard. The two yards were merged into one after the middle of the 18th century.
At the left, at about the centre of the west wing, there is a second marble fountain, which also was built with a grant from the Cyrillo mentioned above, and the well-known palindrome ΝΙΨΟΝ ΑNOMHMΑTΑ ΜΗ ΜΟΝΑΝ ΟΨΙΝ (“Wash [away] your sins, not only your face”) is inscribed on it.
Today, all of the wings which surround the cathedral of the Monastery have been completely renovated by the new Brotherhood of the Monastery. The north wing houses the rooms of the monks, the offices, the Prior's office, as well as the chapels of St Andrew and Ioanniko, the Archangels, and St Georgios. This area is part of the original building complex and had suffered damage in the fire of 1392. It has undergone repeated renovations, first by the autocrat Manuel II Palaiologo and the Patriarch Antonio IV, and later, in 1781, by the above-mentioned Cyrillos and Georgios, as evidenced by the extant inscriptions from that year.
It is worth noting that on the ground floor of this wing, the storage jar which is associated with the miracle of the olive oil performed by the icon of Panagia Gerontissa ('The Virgin Mary, the Wise and Venerable' or 'The Abbess'). The west wing houses the kitchen (a building of the 16th century), the dining hall, the storage room, the chapel of St John the Baptist (Timio Prodromou), and the rooms of the monks. Earlier renovations to sections of the west wing around 1637 and 1776 are evidenced by the surviving inscriptions on the outer walls.
Visitors to the monastery are accommodated in the south wing, which also houses the conference room and the chapel of St Nikolaos. According to tradition, this wing was formerly the location of the Prior's office, the dining hall (or refectory), a room for dignatires and guests, and the rooms of the monks.
The garden is located a short distance to the west of the Monastery, which is also the site of the Seat of St Trifonas, surrounded by olive trees, as well as the cemetery and the Seat of the Sts Anargyrioi (i.e. 'Those who work without being paid in silver').
At a short distance north of the small harbour of the Monastery is the well where the miraculous icon of Panagia Gerontissa has continued to stand for almost 80 years.