Meteora

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This article is about the Greek Orthodox monasteries. For the Linkin Park album, see Meteora (album).

The monastery Agia Triada (Holy Trinity) viewed from the east.

The monastery Agiou Stephanou (Saint Stephen's) is inhabited by nuns only.

The Meteora (Greek: Μετέωρα, "suspended rocks" or "suspended in the air") is the largest and most important complex of monasteries in all of Greece, second only to Mount Athos.^[1] The monasteries are built on spectacular natural sandstone rock pillars at the northwestern edge of the Plain of Thessaly, near the Peneios river and Pindus Mountains, in central Greece. The Meteora is home to six monasteries and is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Although it is unknown when Meteora was established, as early as the 11th century CE hermit monks were believed to be living among the caves and cutouts in the rocks.^[1] By the late 11th or early 12th century a rudimentary monastic state had formed called the Skete of Stagoi and was centered around the church of Theotokos (mother of God), which still stands today.^[1] The hermit monks, seeking a retreat from the expanding Turkish occupation, found the inaccessible rock pillars of Meteora to be an ideal refuge. Although more than 20 monasteries were built, beginning in the 14th century,^[1] only six remain today. These six are: Great Meteoron (or Transfiguration), Varlaam, St. Stephen, Holy Trinity, St. Nicholas Anapausas and Rousanou.

The Varlaam monastery on its rock pedestal.

In the 1920s, steps were cut into the rock, making the complex accessible via a bridge from the nearby plateau. Only a few monasteries are left now, tended by a few monks and nuns and visited by many tourists. The monasteries now serve as museums. The Agia Triada (Greek: Αγία Τριάδα, "Holy Trinity") monastery was used in the final scenes of the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only.