Meteora, Greece

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  Meteora is the biggest and most important group of monasteries in Greece after those in Mount Athos. The rock monasteries are a unique phenomenon of cultural heritage and they form one of the most important stations of cultural map of Greece. Meteora is an area in Thessaly (Central Greece) and Kalampaka is the city under the rock towers of Meteora.

  The thing that makes Meteora so special is the monasteries on the top of the rock towers. Precariously hanging over the sinister abysses, with the Pindus range at their back and the vast plain, woods, gorges and picturesque villages below, these unwordly hermitages compose one of the most breathtaking sites on earth.

  The monasteries, the amount of peaks to climb and the paths for hiking brings in Meteora the whole year many tourists. In the late Byzantine period and during Ottoman rule this monastic community became a sanctuary of the persecuted. On these barren and inaccessible rocks a centre of Byzantine art was created.

  The history of the Meteora monastic community begins in the 11th century. The development of the community, however, may be more thoroughly traced from the 14th century onwards when the first monasteries were established. Between 1356 and 1372 the monk Athanasius founded what was to become the most important of all the Great Meteoron at Platis Lithos, the biggest and the most important of the monasteries. Thanks to lavish endowments the Great Meteoron became autonomous and acquired many valuable works of art. Athanasius imposed very strict rules on the community, including the exclusion of women from the area. The most important monasteries of Meteora are: The Holy Monastery of Great Meteoron. Gradually the community began to deteriorate; of the twenty-four monasteries that had been built throughout the years, only very few continue to operate. In fact only five monasteries are still inhabited today. In older days ascent to the monastery was made by jointed ladders and by nets or baskets. Today one goes up a flight of 115 steep, irregular stairs cut into the rock face.

  Nowadays almost all the monasteries are used as a museum.

  The Great Meteoron - in older days ascent to the monastery was made by jointed ladders and by nets of baskets. Today one goes up a flight of 115 steep, irregular stairs cut into the rock face. Thanks to lavish endowments the Great Miteoron became autonomous and acquired many valuable works of art.The Monastery of the Great Meteoron is the grandest, highest, most distant and the oldest of the Meteora monasteries. Its domed church is magnificent and it also has a museum in its 16th century one-time dining room. Agia Trias- Monastery of Holy Trinity is very difficult to reach. The visitor has to cross the valley and continue high up through the rock before we arrive outside the entrance. The church is in the cross-in-square type with the dome based in two columns. A great part of the monasteries (Katholika, cells, other buildings) have been restored and the rest of them is being restored, while in plenty of them the conservation of the wall paintings has been fulfilled.

  Varlaam - The Holy Monastery of Varlaam is the second, after the Great Meteoro, big in size monastery. The church, honoured to the three Bishops, is in the Athonite type , with spacious esonarthex (lite) surrounded by dome as well. The old refectory is used as a museum while North of the Church we can see the parekklesion of the Three (Bishops) built in 1627.

  Agios Stefanos - where you can still admire the beautiful gold-leaved wood carvings, wall paintings and old icons.It is one of the most attainable . The small single-nave church of St. Stephen was built in the middle of 16th and decorated in 1545 or a little later.

  Roussanou The Holy Monastery of Rousanou. It is dedicated to 'The Transfiguration' but honoured to Saint Barbara. The 'Katholikon', in the Athonite type, was founded in the middle of 16th c. and decorated in 1560 It contains frescoes of the Cretan School, made in 1560.

  Of interest too are the monastery's Refectory - today a Museum - and its Library's numerous manuscripts and rare books, the monastery of Agios Nikolaos Anapafsas(built slightly before 1510 with beautifully preserved frescoes),the monastery of Agia Moni(built around 1315).

  When stopping at these isolated monasteries and looking at the Pindus range and the Thessalian plain down below, one understands why the hemmits chose this spot in order to serve God and approach him.

We offer you the following excursions in Meteora:

• Two-days excursion in Meteora. (Price and description)

  We will arrange for you an accoommmodation in the best hotels in Athens and many various excursions.

Please note that we make discounts for our permanent clients (10-20%)

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