Meteora, Greece

Meteora is one of the most extraordinary sights in all of Greece, a cluster of medieval Orthodox monasteries built atop sheer pillars of rock that rise hundreds of feet straight out of the plain. The name means "suspended in the air," and that is exactly how the monasteries appear, seemingly growing from the summits of the great stone towers, wrapped in mist on a cloudy morning and glowing gold at sunset. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Meteora combines dramatic natural scenery with centuries of monastic history in a way found nowhere else on earth.

The rock formations rise above the town of Kalambaka in Thessaly, in central Greece, roughly midway between Athens and Thessaloniki and reached most easily by train or car. The towering pinnacles were formed over millions of years as ancient rivers wore away softer stone, leaving behind these isolated columns of sandstone and conglomerate, some more than a thousand feet high.

The Rock Pillars

The pillars themselves are the first astonishment of a visit. Rounded and weathered, streaked gray and ochre, they stand in a tight group above the wooded valley, their vertical walls dropping away to the fields below. A winding road climbs among them, opening one spectacular view after another, and footpaths and old stone stairways connect the various monasteries for those who wish to explore on foot.

Hermits and monks were first drawn to these heights as early as the eleventh century, living in caves and clefts in the rock in search of solitude and spiritual retreat. The sheer inaccessibility that made the pillars attractive to hermits later made them ideal refuges in troubled times, safe from the upheavals of the plains below.

The Monasteries

Beginning in the fourteenth century, monks built full monasteries on the summits, hauling materials, supplies and even people up the vertical faces in nets and baskets or by long retractable ladders. At the height of the monastic community there were more than twenty monasteries here; today six remain active and open to visitors, each perched on its own rock like a small fortified village of stone walls, tiled roofs and domed churches.

Access today is far easier than in centuries past, thanks to stairways cut into the rock in the twentieth century and bridges spanning the gaps, though reaching some monasteries still means climbing a good many steps. The effort is well rewarded, both by the views from the summits and by the treasures preserved within.

Inside the Monasteries

Each monastery centers on a Byzantine church, its interior covered with richly colored frescoes and icons, dim and candlelit and heavy with the scent of incense. The monasteries also preserve courtyards, refectories, cellars and small museums displaying old manuscripts, vestments and religious objects, a reminder that these were self-sufficient communities that had to store everything needed to survive on an isolated rock.

Behind their walls the monasteries enclose peaceful gardens and arcaded courtyards, quiet green spaces suspended high above the world. Visitors are asked to dress modestly, with covered shoulders and knees, and women to wear skirts, in keeping with the monasteries' role as living centers of Orthodox faith rather than mere museums.

Visiting Meteora

Meteora is often visited as a long day trip or an overnight stop, most conveniently combined with the drive between Athens and the north, or reached by the scenic train line to Kalambaka. The town of Kalambaka and the smaller village of Kastraki at the foot of the rocks offer hotels and restaurants, and staying overnight allows a visit at the quieter hours of early morning or late afternoon, when the light is best and the tour buses have gone.

Allowing time to visit two or three of the monasteries, along with stops at the viewpoints along the road, makes for a full and memorable day. Few places in Greece leave as strong an impression as the first sight of these monasteries floating above the mist, a landscape where human devotion and natural grandeur meet in a truly unforgettable way.