PilgrimstaysThe Meteora in Thessaly, central Greece, is one of the most visually extraordinary sacred landscapes on Earth — six Eastern Orthodox monasteries perched atop immense freestanding sandstone rock pillars rising 300 to 600 metres from the plain below. The name Meteora means suspended in air or in the heavens in Greek — a perfect description of the effect when these monasteries are glimpsed above cloud or mist from the valley floor. The first hermits came to these rocks in the 9th century, seeking inaccessibility as a protection for their spiritual lives. A monastic community developed under the authority of St Athanasios of Meteora from the 14th century, who built the Great Meteoron (the Transfiguration Monastery) around 1350. At the height of monastic life in the 16th century there were 24 monasteries on the rocks. Today six survive and are still inhabited by monks and nuns. All six monasteries are active religious communities, not museums. The Meteora complex was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. Visiting Meteora is simultaneously a pilgrimage, an encounter with Byzantine heritage, and an experience of wild landscape of extraordinary grandeur. The frescoes, icons, and illuminated manuscripts preserved in the monasteries constitute one of the great collections of Byzantine religious art outside of Constantinople.
One of the most extraordinary sacred landscapes on Earth — monasteries on vertical rock pillars 600m high UNESCO World Heritage Site (1988) for both natural and cultural universal significance
The first hermits came in the 9th century — over 1,100 years of continuous prayer on these rocks At peak (16th century) 24 monasteries; today 6 survive as active monastic communities The frescoes and icons of Meteora are among the finest surviving collections of Byzantine religious art
Highest monastery [OUTDOOR] The Great Meteoron, founded by St Athanasios in the 14th century and built on the highest rock, is the oldest and largest of the six monasteries. Its katholikon (main church) contains frescoes from the 14th-16th centuries and the bone chapel where the skulls of monks are arranged as memento mori. The ascent by wide stone steps cut into the rock communicates the seriousness of the monks who built here.
the Last Judgement (1566) by the Theban brothers Franco and Georgios is particularly celebrated. The original net ascent (now replaced by stone steps) was the only way up — visitors were literally hauled in a net.
the rocks rise like fingers from the flat, fertile valley, and the monasteries cling to their tops. At dawn, mist fills the plain below, leaving only the monastery rock tops visible: the suspended-in-air effect that gave Meteora its name.
painted for monks who would see them every day for a lifetime.
the landscape, the height, the silence, and the occasional sight of a monk crossing a bridge between rocks creates an atmosphere unlike any other sacred place.
A monk climbed a rock 300 metres above the Thessalian plain in the 9th century because he wanted to be far from the world. Other monks followed. Communities formed on rocks. Twenty-four monasteries. Ropes and nets were the only access. Byzantine emperors built their own foundations on these rocks. Today, two million tourists visit each year. The monks are still there, celebrating the Divine Liturgy on Sunday mornings, whether or not anyone comes to watch. The ancient question of solitude versus witness does not resolve at Meteora: it simply endures at great height.
“I lift up my eyes to the mountains — where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”
Read in full on Bible Gateway →The Meteora in Thessaly, central Greece, is one of the most visually extraordinary sacred landscapes on Earth — six Eastern Orthodox monasteries perched atop immense freestanding sandstone rock pillars rising 300 to 600 metres from the plain below. The name Meteora means suspended in air, or in the heavens, in Greek — a perfect description of the effect when these monasteries are glimpsed above cloud or mist from the valley floor.
The first hermits came to these rocks in the 9th century, seeking inaccessibility as a protection for their spiritual lives. A monastic community developed under the authority of St Athanasios of Meteora from the 14th century, who built the Great Meteoron (the Transfiguration Monastery) around 1350. At the height of monastic life in the 16th century there were 24 monasteries on the rocks. Today six survive and are still inhabited by monks and nuns.
All six monasteries are active religious communities, not museums. The Meteora complex was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. Visiting Meteora is simultaneously a pilgrimage, an encounter with Byzantine heritage, and an experience of wild landscape of extraordinary grandeur. The frescoes, icons and illuminated manuscripts preserved in the monasteries constitute one of the great collections of Byzantine religious art outside of Constantinople.
