Meteora

The enormous rocks of Meteora dominate imposingly in Kalampaka between the mountains Koziaka and Antichasia. This beauty of the nature reveals all its greatness through the centuries, as it constitutes a unique in beauty geological phenomenon and an important monument of Orthodoxy. Meteora that have been characterized as the second Agion Oros continue the monastic tradition for approximately six centuries. In the view of the holy rocks the visitor remains speakless from the impressive magnificence of this giant stone cluster.

The first monasteries were built with a lot of assiduity and virtuosity at the 14th century. Through the years some of them were reconstructed and other were repaired in order to be supplemented, and they were given thus their final architectural form. Since then, they erect their stature in the tops of rocks giving the impression that they constitute their natural top.

The ascent in the old days was made with scaffoldings placed deep in the rocks and later with specific scales. Today the pilgrims-visitors use the scales that were shaped in the rocks, ensuring that wat a comfortable and sure ascent to the monasteries. From the 24 monasteries today 6 of them function and the 15 remaining are uninhabited and devastated.

Monks, priests but also important designers of those times, such as Theofanis and Fragkos Katelanos, decorated with their art works the temples of Meteoroa. Treasures, heirlooms and a lot of miniatures are saved in Meteora. A representative sample of miniature art is the brilliant temple made of wood that was found in the catholic part of Holy Abbey of Agios Stefanos. Portable pictures, the oldest of which are nowadays kept in the sacristies of the temples, crosses made with the Holly Timber, priests’ vestments, manuscripts, etc. are some of the exhibits, that the visitor can admire. From historical side big interest present more than thousand handwritten codes, as well as precious in value Byzantine and post byzantine documents that are saved and kept in safeboxes in the monasteries. In the Abbey of Agios Stefanos is also kept the Holly Head of Agios Charalampos, while in the Abbey Barlaam is the Gospel that is attributed in the Emperor of Byzantium Konstantinos Porfyrogennitos

Nowadays Meteora have been characterized by the UN Monument of Cultural Heritage.