Eastern Orthodox (Christianity)
Μετέωρα
Meteora
“Where a monastery sits atop each pillar of rock raised into the sky”
Scenes
Meaning
As dawn colors the mist, great sandstone pillars rise from the valley with a monastery set upon each summit. Birds cross between the cliffs, and from these places suspended between earth and heaven a bell carries out.
As its Greek name 'suspended in the air' suggests, these are Orthodox monasteries built atop sandstone pillars hundreds of meters high. From around the 14th century hermits are said to have climbed these rocks to pray apart from the world and built monasteries here, and monastic life continues today in six of them. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Field notes
- Location
- Thessaly · Greece · N39.7° · E21.6°
- Best time
- Dawn and dusk, when mist wraps the pillars of rock
- Getting there
- From Kalambaka in Thessaly, Greece, by car and on foot up to the monasteries on the rocks.
- Etiquette
- A sanctuary of continuing monastic life; visitors keep quiet, dress modestly, and follow the rules of worship.
Sources
- · UNESCO World Heritage
- · Encyclopaedia Britannica
Photographs are freely licensed works from Wikimedia Commons and similar sources; the author and license appear beneath each image.