Parting Shots of Meteora

Agia Trias

The monks' garden at Anapfasas

The nunnery

A 12,000 liter barrel at Anapfasas -- not sure what they kept in here.

Misty Meteora

When we first arrived in Meteora, the mists were obscuring much of the landscape, drifting in and out of monastery views, floating between gaps in rock formations, and giving the place a different feel than what we would experience later in our stay.

Meteora: Just a Difference in Scale

A monastery on a rocky perch

A Monastery on a rocky perch

The Hermitages

When the first monk came to Meteora in 985, he lived in a cave. This cave later became a system of hermitages, and then monasteries. Though some of the monasteries have been destroyed, others are open to the public (see posts below). In this particular case, a new monastery, Agios Antonios, was built right next to the age-old hermitages.

Ruins of an old monastery

Agios Antonios, next to the old hermitages

Playing with Perspective

After Betsy took her growing pills, she didn't find Varlaam Monastery quite so impressive...

A Matter of Scale

The monasteries of Meteora hide among the scattered rocks jutting up from central Greece. Below is the monastery of St. Nikolaos Anapfasas, framed at various distances. It is one of the lowest in Meteora, but still requires hundreds of steps to climb. The structures seem to grow from the rocks, taking their forms from the lines and limitations of their surroundings. Though they cling to the cliff, the inside is stable, buttressed with wood beams and stone walls. Most of the monasteries consist of a worship room, a place to hold wares, and some private quarters, in addition to hallways and staircases connecting the various levels. Before they were easily accessible by walkways and staircases, the monks would hoist their wares, and even themselves, up with ropes and nets. The modern pulley system can be seen in the last picture.

Meteora Views

Varlaam Monastery

After a calf-burning session on Mt. Olympus, we drove a couple of hours to Meteora, Greece, home of a stunning collection of monasteries perched impossibly atop rock precipices. The seeming inaccessibility of the rocks was no doubt a draw for solitude-seeking monks, the first of whom arrived in 985. He was followed by others, until a monastery was built in 1336. At one time, there were twenty-four monasteries spread over the various rocks, but now there are only thirteen. Below you see various angles of one monastery, Varlaam. More to follow.

In the foreground is Roussanou Nunnery. Varlaam is in the upper right, high on the cliff, and Agios Nikolaos Anapfasas is in the background.

The winding stairs leading up to Varlaam

This was taken the following day, after the weather cleared a bit, from below Varlaam.