METEORA

In the region of Thessalia, in the prefecture of Trikala and at an altitude of 300 meters Meteora are located. It is a cluster of huge rocks of dark color made of psammite (known also as sandstone) which rise outside the small traditional town of Kalambaka near the mountain chain of Pindos and Chasia.  The place is famous for the monasteries of Meteora, which are built on top of the rocks. It is the second most important monastery compound in Greece, after Mount Athos (the Holy Mountain). Historically, there were 30 monasteries but today there are only 6.

Studies show that the rocks were initially formed about 65 million years ago after the erosion of the ground and then the earthquakes gave them their final shape that they have today. In these rocks the Cave of Theopetra is located. Quite surprisingly, there is no reference in the distant past, in mythology, Ancient Greece and history although they present distinct interest.

The name Meteora is attributed to the founder of the monastery of the Grand Meteoro, Saint Athanasios of Meteora which gave the name “Meteora” to the Wide Rock which he climbed for the first time in 1344. Generally the monastery life in Meteora declined after the fall of the Byzantine Empire and the following Ottoman conquest of Thessalia in 1393. Still, from the end of the 15^th century and mainly the 16^th century, Meteora developed greatly as new monastery constructions are built which are decorated with frescos of exquisite art.

As the time passed this monastery territory began to be enhanced by the coming of monks reaching its peak around the 17^th century. However, that era the decline starts. Today only the monasteries of Metamorfosi, Varlaam, Saint Nikolas of Anapausa, Rosanos, the Holy Trinity and Saint Stefanos run as well as some sections of some others whereas the rest are abandoned.

Because of their morphology, Meteora was the ideal shelter for monks during the Turkish occupation as the monks protected, risking their lives, every individual hunted by the Ottomans. They also salvaged important cultural monuments and works of Byzantine art. At the beginning of the 19^th century a lot of monasteries were looted by the Turkish army. Initially, the monasteries were accessed by rope ladders, cables, baskets etc. In the 1920s the first staircases were constructed and tunnels in the rocks so that the monasteries became more accessible from the slopes of the mountains.