Photos of the Amazing Byzantine Rock Top Meteora Monasteries 

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Photos of the Amazing Byzantine Rock Top Meteora Monasteries Architecture & Art, Greece. Photos by photographer Paul E Williams.  (TIP – use the icons below the slideshow for thumbnail photos and info)

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Photos of the Amazing Byzantine Rock Top Meteora Monasteries Greece. 

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Photos of the Byzantine Meteora Monasteries Orthodox monasteries on top of their pillars of rock, Greece.

One of the most spectacular sites in the world of the beautiful Byzantine style Meteora Monasteries onto of rock pillars of the Meteora mountains in Greece. In the 16th century there were 24 monasteries but today only 6 remain.

By the mid 13th century the Roman Byzantine Emire was coming under increased pressure by the Islamic Ottoman Empire. Even though the Ottomans had never persecuted d conquerored, the Monks of Mount Athos in eastern Greece began looking of safe havens.

In 1344, Athanasios Koinovitis from Mount Athos brought a group of followers to Meteora. From 1356 to 1372, he founded The Great Meteoron Monastery on a broad plateau surrounded by shear cliffs. This was not the first monastery in the Meteoras as in the 11th century hermite monks had formed a rudimentary monastic state called the Skete of Stagoi. A skete is a community of termite monks that come together for communal worship.

At great risk to themselves, monks began climbing meteora rock pillars and establishing pillar top monasteries.

Each monastery has a winch house with a rope net that is lowered to haul up provisions. Originally pilgrims had to climb up precarious rope ladders to make their devotions in the monastery churches.

The Great Meteoron Meteora Monastery

In 1388 Thessaly was ruled by a Serbian King and his son, Loasaf, became a pupil of Athanasios at the Metéoron. The King extended the monastery which became an important center of learning with many fine illuminated codecs and important Byzantine frescos in its church.

The Great Meteoron has the largest manuscript collection in Meteora. Out of 1,124 codices that were catalogued by N. Veis at the six Meteora monasteries, 610 were recorded at the Great Meteoron.

Monastery of St. Rousanou 

The picturesque monastery sits on top of a low pillar surrounded by spectacular rock formations of the Meteora Mountains. It is small but very beautiful monastery.

Monastery of St. Varlaam

Vaarlam Monastery is situated dramatically on a tall pillar tall pillar at that is surrounded by rock formations. Its location is impregnable and the monks and visitors that were hauled up in nets must have been very brave indeed. Today a steps have been cut into the pillar for access.

Monastery of the Holy Trinity 

The Meteora Holy Trinity Monastery is situated at the top of a rocky pillar at an elevation of 400 metres. Dometius was said to be the first monk at the site of Holy Trinity, arriving in 1438. There is a small cable car that runs to the monastery for monks. Tourists and other visitors have to climb rock steps around the pillar.

In total 23 monasteries were built over 2 centuries and precious relics and valuable icons found safety in the impregnable monasteries: notably the finger of St John and the shoulder blade of St Andrew in the monastery of Varlaám.

It is a marvel that 600 years ago men could build such wonderful buildings at the top of high isolated rock pillars without cranes or mechanical aides.

Since the building of a paved road into the mountains in the 1960s, tourists have been able to visit the Meteora Monasteries and marvel at beauty and serenity of the captivating Byzantine buildings set against the dramatic backdrop of the Pindos Mountains.

UNESCO added the Meteora to its world heritage list and from 1972 the 6 remaining monasteries have been under renovation repairing damage from neglect and earthquakes.