Meteora – Kalambaka

The spectacular rocks of Meteora dominate Kalambaka between the Koziaka and Antichasia mountains. This masterpiece of nature has been revealing its full glory for centuries now, as it is a unique in beauty geological phenomenon and an important monument of Orthodoxy.
Meteora, which has been characterized as the second Mount Athos, has been continuing the monastic tradition for about six centuries.

At the sight of the sacred rocks the visitor is dazzled by the impressive magnificence of this gigantic stone complex. The ascetic retreats on the rocks bear witness to the undeniable presence of the first monks who dedicated themselves soul and body to God. Servants of the omnipotent Christ recorded their ascetic course in the monastic life, walking on the paths that lead from earth to heaven...
The first monasteries were built with great care and skill during the 14th century. Over the years, some of them were reconstructed and others underwent significant repairs in order to complete them, and thus give their final architectural shape. Since then, they have been standing tall on the tops of the rocks, thus giving the impression that they are their natural finish.
The ascent was formerly done by scaffolding supported by beams wedged into the rocks, with a net, and a little later with wind ladders. Today pilgrims-visitors use the stairs carved into the rocks, thus ensuring a comfortable and safe ascent to the monasteries.

Of the 24 monasteries, six are functioning today, while the remaining 15 are uninhabited and in ruins. The Holy Monasteries of the Transfiguration of the Saviour, of the Holy Trinity, of Agios Nikolaos the Rest, and of Varlaam are male, while the Holy Monastery of Rousanos and Agios Stefanos are female.
Monks, priests and great icon painters of the time, such as Theofanis and Frankos Katelanos, painted frescoes on the temples of Meteora. The Panagia Thrinodousa, the Crucified, the Birth of Christ, the Martyrs of the Saints, are from the wonderful pictorial program of the frescoes that adorn the interior of the churches. They have a rich coloring sometimes lively and sometimes soft, life and naturalness are given to the expressive faces and their movements, and the subjects are inspired mainly from Christological and hagiological life.
Some frescoes, however, were seriously damaged by raids by vandals who did not respect the sanctity of the church space, and others still bear the indelible signs of the wear and tear of time. Technically, the wall paintings belong to the last Paleologian Byzantine period.

Treasures, heirlooms and many small works of art are preserved in Meteora. A representative sample of small craftsmanship is the masterpiece wood-carved iconostasis found in the catholicon of the Holy Monastery of Agios Stefanos.
Portable icons, the oldest of which are currently kept in the sacristy of the temples, Crosses with Sacred Wood, high priestly rods, gold-plated priestly vestments, manuscripts, Gospels, utensils for liturgical purposes, lead bulls, silver reliquaries are some of the museum exhibits that the visitor can to admire. From a historical point of view, the more than a thousand manuscript codices are of great interest, as well as the valuable series of Byzantine and post-Byzantine documents preserved and kept in the archives of the monasteries.
In the Holy Monastery of Agios Stefanos, the Miraculous Cara of Agios Charalambos is also kept, while in the Monastery of Varlaam there is the Gospel attributed to the Byzantine Emperor Con/no Porphyrogenitus.

Today Meteora has been designated by the UN as a Cultural Heritage Monument. Through this legacy, the ascetic monks have been walking for centuries following the footsteps of their first settler Fathers, sculpting their faith with obedience, austerity, humility, fasting and unceasing prayer to the Supreme Creator.