Images from Meteora, Greece
"The photographs of the monasteries at Meteora, Greece, highlight both the majestic settings for these ancient wonders and the modern life that continues there with insightful choices for the scenes. The selections tell a story that helps put the settings in perspective and invites the viewers to learn more about this part of Greece and the life represented in the photographs." Dr. Bill W.
Where else in the world can you find gigantic fingers of sandstone reaching for the heavens? Here, in the western Thessaly region of Greece, are the rocks of Meteora—over a thousand of them, some as tall as 600 meters or almost 2000 feet! To avoid invaders and marauders, people living nearby took refuge in the caves that dot the sides of these towering rocks. Towards the end of the first millennium A.D., Christian hermits and holy men were known to shelter in the caves, and the first cloisters are recorded in the very early 11th century. By the 14th and 15th centuries, the monks climbed higher and built monasteries atop the largest formations. Built around 1340/50, the oldest and largest monastery is the Holy Monastery of the Transfiguration of Jesus. Saint Athanasios, originally from Mount Athos, is credited with its foundation on top of the “Wide Stone”, the one he named Meteoron (translated as “hovering in the air) and which gives the area its name of Meteora.
Twenty one monasteries were built as well as an additional twenty hermitages, most of which were abandoned or destroyed after the 17th century. These monasteries, with their limited access, played a crucial role in preserving Greek language and culture, religious tradition, and ancient manuscripts during the decline of the Byzantine Empire and rise of the Turks. Today, fewer than sixty monks and nuns maintain six of the monasteries along with two structures considered dependencies of larger monasteries. The other monasteries and hermitages are ruins. The Holy Monastery of the Transfiguration of Jesus (the Great Meteoron), the Holy Monastery of the Holy Trinity, The Holy Monastery of Saint Nicholas Anapafsos, and the Holy Monastery of Varlaam are monasteries, whereas the Holy Monastery of Saint Stephen and the Holy Monastery of Rousanou are now convents maintained by nuns. Access was improved in the 20th century, first with bridges and ladders then with a paved access road.
Many of my images come from the Holy Monastery of Saint Stephen which sits some 528 meters or 1732 feet in the air and is the only monastery visible from the nearby town of Kalampaka. This monastery was founded by Saint Antonios Kantakouzenas and Saint Philotheos in the mid-14th century. There was heavy damage to the monastery and significant looting during the 20th century, but nuns returned in 1961 and began restoration. Some 28 nuns now maintain the monastery and perform its work. In 1988, UNESCO designated Meteora a World Heritage site, and in 1995 Greek Law proclaimed Meteora “a sacred site, unchangeable and inviolable.”
Twenty one monasteries were built as well as an additional twenty hermitages, most of which were abandoned or destroyed after the 17th century. These monasteries, with their limited access, played a crucial role in preserving Greek language and culture, religious tradition, and ancient manuscripts during the decline of the Byzantine Empire and rise of the Turks. Today, fewer than sixty monks and nuns maintain six of the monasteries along with two structures considered dependencies of larger monasteries. The other monasteries and hermitages are ruins. The Holy Monastery of the Transfiguration of Jesus (the Great Meteoron), the Holy Monastery of the Holy Trinity, The Holy Monastery of Saint Nicholas Anapafsos, and the Holy Monastery of Varlaam are monasteries, whereas the Holy Monastery of Saint Stephen and the Holy Monastery of Rousanou are now convents maintained by nuns. Access was improved in the 20th century, first with bridges and ladders then with a paved access road.
Many of my images come from the Holy Monastery of Saint Stephen which sits some 528 meters or 1732 feet in the air and is the only monastery visible from the nearby town of Kalampaka. This monastery was founded by Saint Antonios Kantakouzenas and Saint Philotheos in the mid-14th century. There was heavy damage to the monastery and significant looting during the 20th century, but nuns returned in 1961 and began restoration. Some 28 nuns now maintain the monastery and perform its work. In 1988, UNESCO designated Meteora a World Heritage site, and in 1995 Greek Law proclaimed Meteora “a sacred site, unchangeable and inviolable.”