In northwestern Thessaly there rears up out of the plain of the Peneios (Piniós) a group of conglomerate rock formations up to 300m/985ft high which have been weathered by erosion into a variety of bizarre forms. Vertical rock faces, sharply pointed pinnacles and massive crags tower up above Kalambáka and the village of Kastráki, separated by deeply slashed defiles. Perched on these rocks are the monasteries of Metéora, which take their name from their situation - ta metéora monastíria, the monasteries hanging in the air.
Originally accessible only by bridle tracks, ladders and windlasses, the monasteries have now been brought within the reach of visitors by the construction of modern roads and flights of steps and by signposting; but it should not be forgotten that these are places of peace and prayer and meditation, and visitors should conduct themselves accordingly.
To get the most out of a visit to this awe-inspiring landscape visitors should avoid merely driving quickly from one sight to the next.
The best plan is to allow time to explore the area on foot and to see some of the remoter monasteries, now abandoned, as well as those that are shown to tourists.
In the ninth century the first hermits settled in caves beneath the rocks of Metéora, and a church of the Panayía was built at Doupianí. The place became known as "stous Ayious" ("at the saints' place"), which was corrupted into Stágoi. In 1340 Thessaly came under Serbian control, and Simeon, an uncle of the young king Stephen Uros V, was crowned as king of the Serbs and Greeks at Tríkala. During this troubled period the hermits sought safety and tranquillity on the summits of the rocks. Then monasteries were built, beginning with the Great Metéoron, founded by Athanasios the Meteorite between 1356 and 1372 on the Broad Rock (Platys Lithós) and enlarged from 1388 onwards by his disciple and successor Joasaph, a son of King Simeon. In the heyday of Metéora there were 24 monasteries; but decline set in during the 16th century, and only six monasteries are now still occupied. Together with the monasteries of Athos, they make an important contribution to our knowledge of the post-Byzantine painting of the 16th century.
Things to See
The monastery of Ayía Triáda (founded 1438) is near the attractive convent of Áyios Stéfanos, occupied by nuns. It was founded in 1367 by a Serbian prince, Antony Cantacuzene, and has frescoes of 1400 in its chapel. The principal church (Áyios Kharalambos) dates only from 1798.
From the open space behind the church, on the edge of the crag, there are magnificent views of the plain of Thessaly, traversed by the river Peneios (Piniós).
Address:
Metéora - Ayía Triáda / Áyios Stéfanos, Thessaly , Greece
Hours:
10am-12pm, 4pm-6pm; Closed: Mon
Kalambáka is a small country town situated at the point where the river Piniós emerges from the Pindos range into the Thessalian plain. It is a convenient base for a visit to the Metéora monasteries, or a starting-point for a trip through the Pindos mountains to Ioánnina.
Kalambáka is the terminus of the Fársala-Kalambáka railroad line.
Below a sheer rock face is the Mitrópolis church, dedicated to the Dormition of the Mother of God. A basilica rebuilt by Andronikos Palaiologos in 1309, the original church is traditionally believed to have been founded in the reign of Justinian (sixth C.). Some features of the church are consistent with this dating - the basilican plan, the large marble ambo in the nave and the synthronon (a semicircular stone bench for the priests) in the apse. The paintings in the nave date from the period after the rebuilding; they were the work (1573) of Neophytos, son of the Cretan artist Theophanes who was responsible for the paintings in the Áyios Nikólaos monastery in the Metéora.
After passing the little church of the Mitrópolis at Doupianí we come (on the left) to the steep ascent leading up to the monastery of Áyios Nikólaos Anapafsás, founded in 1368 and enlarged in 1628, with paintings of 1527 by the Cretan artist Theophanes.
The nearby monastery of Varlaám, founded in 1517, has some lively paintings by Frangos Kastellanos of Thebes in the church of All Saints (Áyion Pánton), including an impressive Crucifixion (1548). In the narthex is a fine Last Judgment (1566). The monastery also has an interesting museum and library.
You can reach the Monastery of Varlaám by climbing 195 steps. It was built by the brothers Theophanes and Nectarios, scions of a rich family from Janera, on the site of the old hermitage of the hermit Varlaam.
The chapel of the Three Hierarchs was renovated in 1627.
Address:
Meteora - Varlaám Monastery, Thessaly , Greece
Address:
Metéora Tourist Office, Chagipétrou 10, Kalampáka, Thessaly , Greece
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A typical Greek church in Meteora.
Monastery in Meteora perched on top of pinnacle kept Christianity from being overrun.
One of the monasteries of Meteora sits high on the rocky cliffs.
Though this Meteora monastery is accessed by stair, pilgrims once had to be raised up the cliff in a basket to enter others.
Cliff top monastery in Meteora.
