GREECE - Meteora Monasteries

14:08 Travel Bunny 0 Comments

Meteora literally means “middle of the sky” or “suspended in the air” in Greek. A visit to the Meteora monasteries is an awe-aspiring experience to say the very least. Meteora encompasses an entire rock community of a total of 24 monasteries. Only 6 monasteries remains today. Those days, there were no steps and the main access to the monasteries was by means of a net that was hitched over hook and hoisted up by rope or on retractable wooden ladders. Meteora is included on the UNESCO Heritage List.

On the way to the Meteora monasteries.

The sandstone rock pillars rises from the ground.

Close up of the monastery on the opposite side. I’m not sure which monasteries is this, it wasn’t the monastery which I visited that day. But it looks really majestic.

The first monastery that I visited was the Holy Monastery of St. Barbara or Roussanou Monastery. It is unclear who the monastery is named after but it is dedicated to St. Barbara.

And first, I’ve got to climb some stairs to reach the monastery.

The Roussanou Monastery isn’t that high in elevation as compared to other monasteries, making it more accessible.

The Roussanou Monastery is right in front of us, perched on top of the rock.

The visiting hours are from 9am to 5.45pm.

The garden is really beautiful and well kept.

View from the monastery.

The last flight of steps to reach the monastery.

This is the view of St Nikolaos Anapafsas Monastery from Roussanou Monastery.

In case you’re wondering, the entrance fee for all monasteries is 3 Euro per person.

And yes, there’s a dress code inside the monastery. The general rule is to dress moderately, men should wear long trousers and ladies should wear skirt. Cloth is provided to cover revealing attire if necessary.

Souvenir shop of the monastery.

This way to enter the Church of the Transfiguration.

Illustration of how the monk used to access the monasteries at Meteora. The monastery was initially founded by monks but it became a convent in 1988.

The beautiful paintings inside the church.

However, photos and videos are not allowed in the Roussanou Monastery. If no one is looking, you can of course sneak a picture or two.

Time to head back.

Holy Trinity Monastery is the most difficult to reach and it has the most dramatic location. It is also very close to St. Stephen’s Monastery.

Two of our tour members from France taking a photo with my son.

The second monastery I visited was Holy Monastery of St. Stephen.

This is the most accessible monastery today. Visitors only need to cross a small bridge to reach the entrance. Yep, no more steps.

The monastery is dated back to the 16th century.

St. Stephen’s Monastery includes two cathedrals: the old 16th century chapel which was severely damaged during WWII and the consequent Greek Civil War, and the 18th century main cathedral that is dedicated to St. Charalambos.