These Monasteries In The Sky Are Straight Out Of A Fairytale
The word metéora literally translates to “middle of the sky” or “suspended in the air” – we reckon that’s a pretty fitting name for these stunning monasteries in central Greece.
The six Meteora Monasteries, found high in the mountains of the Plain of Thessaly in Greece, have a rich and sordid past in the region. While no one is certain of when the monasteries were built, it’s estimated that it was around the 14th to 16th century when a rudimentary monastic state had formed in the region.
Created to serve a collection of Eastern Orthodox Church monks and nuns who were previously inhabiting individual caves in the area, the six monasteries that remain today (from an estimated 24) are now included on the UNESCO World Heritage List and are a primary tourist attraction for the region.
Fun fact: one of the monasteries, the Monastery of the Holy Trinity, featured in the 1981 James Bond movie For Your Eyes Only.
All six of the monasteries are suspended on natural sandstone rock pillars and were originally (and maybe deliberately) quite difficult to get to – long ladders and connected rope nets were used to access the high-standing monasteries.
Unfortunately, the ropes decayed quite dramatically over the years and the inhabitants of the monastery claimed they would replace the rotted ropes “only when the Lord let them break”. Luckily in recent years, city officials have installed staircases that have been cut into the rock formations for easier access.
This is the stuff fairytales are made of.
(Images: Visit Meterora. Lead image: Discover Greece)
