The Meteora Monasteries: Daytrip from Athens

Ancient times, history, art, and religion come together to the north of Athens, forming an impressive landscape of monasteries that are practically suspended in the air. And I say practically, because they are built at a height of 600 meters, crowning breathtaking rocks looking towards the heavens and sculpted by erosion. If you fancy visiting them, all you have to do is keep on reading.

This is the perfect place to go for meditation. In a region plagued with barely accessible sandstone giant rocks, a group of 14th century monks decided to settle in what they called the “pillars of heaven”. Up to that time, many of them had been hermits living in caves with the sole aim of being closer to God. The best views over the area are those up top, at the Great Meteoron monastery. The huge rocks that serve as base for the temples will make you feel small by comparison.

The Meteora Monasteries, which were declared a World Heritage Site in 1988, can be visited in a single day. There are daily trips from Athens, which is a 3 hour drive away. The temples can be accessed from the city of Kalambaka, in the valley of the Pineios River, a mere 17 kilometers away, and this distance can be travelled by car, by tourist bus, by bike, and on foot, for the most daring ones among you.

If we step back in history, we wonder how those monks managed to erect their buildings at such heights centuries ago. Through their effort and ingenuity they made that area unique. The frescoes, dating from the 16^th century, mark a key period in post-Byzantine painting. It goes without saying that visiting these temples may not be agreeable to those with a fear of heights, as they are built at a height of 600 meters, in very steep terrain. Nowadays, they are accessible by steps cut into the rock face and a cable car, but some centuries ago, the monks had to use a pulley system of their own design. It is still a bit of a mystery how they built those. These are, without a doubt, some of the highest monasteries in the world.

They monasteries are all impressive: The Monastery of Saint Nicholas, that of Saint Stephen, the Monastery of the Holy Trinity, of Varlaam, or the Monastery of Roussanou. But perhaps, the most striking for its sheer size, state of preservation, and location is the Great Meteoron Monastery: by far the most popular with visitors. There are still quite a few left, but not as many as there used to be: some of them were destroyed by the German troops during WWII. The monasteries served as hideout for the Greek resistance, and that attracted the German bomber planes. Nowadays only 13 of the original 24 monasteries are left standing, and only about half a dozen of those are open to the public.

Useful information: There is a 3 euro entrance fee for each of the temples, and long skirts or shawls are provided for covering bare legs and shoulders. Cover up, as it is only respectful. Everyone tends to do so, and it is usually not an issue. It’s definitely worth it!