METEORA MONASTERIES

VISIT ONE OF THE MOST IMPRESSIVE UNESCO’ PEARLS - THE HOLLY METEORA MONASTERIES

The Holly Meteora rocks of Thessaly levitate between the sky and the earth bewitching with their unearthly beauty created by deltoid currents of the Prehistoric Thessaly Sea. At tops of these stone pillars is located the complex of ancient Orthodox monasteries. Since the 10th century in rocks of Stagon (“ Drops”), there was a set of cells and sketes of the hermit monks.

The organized cenobitic monasticism appeared there in early 14th AD with St. Athanasios Meteorites, the Athos monk forced to leave the Holy Mount because of the frequent attacks of Turks. St. Athanasius gave the rocks Stagon their modern name meaning "Soaring in the Skies". Wars of the 19th-20th centuries caused desolation of this place. Today there are six operating monasteries with not more than 120 cloisterers. 

The Great Meteoron

On the highest cliff "Plati Litos" (“wide stone”) is located the Great Meteoron Monastery based by St. Athanasios. In the chancel of the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of Christ, as well as in the main temple remained fresco paintings of the Macedonian icon-painting school. The set of unique manuscripts and printed books is stored in the rich library, for example, the oldest Greece code "The interpretational Conversations of St. John Chrysostom on the St. Matthew’s Gospel".

Varlaam's Monastery
The monastery of the hermit Varlaam was based by monks Feofan and Nektariya Apsarades from Epirus. Rich brothers restored the ancient churches and a cell constructed by Varlaam. The All Saints Cathedral was decorated by the famous Thebes icon painter Franco Catalano. The library of the monastery is known for its collection of ancient manuscripts.

St. Nicholas's Monastery
Atop of one of the stone cliffs, there is a narrow high building with small internal rooms. This is the St. Nikolay's Monastery also named "Anapavsa" (“peace”). The monastery got its name from the first hermit, who settled down at top of this narrow rock. Its main temple was painted by one of the greatest post-Byzantine iconographers, the founder of Cretan iconography school Feofan Strelitsa (Bafa). Today here there is only one active monk.

Monastery of the Holy Trinity
Through the gorge beneath a tall cliff, travelers can get to the monastery of the Holy Trinity. 140 hewn rock stairs will bring guests to the isolated cloister, first mentioned in 1362. The main temple of the monastery was built in the 15th AD. Its frescos remained uncorrupted to this day.
St. Stefan's nunnery
This ancient place is famous for the honest head of the hieromartyr Haralampiya, which was given by the Romanian princes of Walachia in the 18th century. The elementary school of Kalambaka was founded at the expense of monastery. The school shelter for orphan girls was organized by nuns in the 70s of the 20th century. The monastery turned into the nunnery in 1961.

Rousanou nunnery 

The cloister is devoted to the Transfiguration of the Lord and to the great martyress St. Varvara. Saint brothers Ioasaf and Maxim from Yanina erected this monument of the Byzantine culture and Christian spirituality in the early 16th century. Frescos of the catholicon are the brightest sample of the post-Byzantine iconography of the Cretan school. In the 80s of the 20th century, the Rousanou was reconstructed and became the nunnery.