St Stephen Monastery crowns the southern edge of the Meteora rocks, directly above the town of Kalabaka in central Greece. Agios Stefanos holds a clear distinction among the six active monasteries: a short, flat bridge carries visitors straight onto the rock. Older travellers and people with limited mobility reach the gate without the steep stone … Read more
St Nicholas Anapausas is a small monastery perched on a narrow rock pillar above the village of Kastraki in central Greece. It stands as the first monastery reached on the winding road up from Kastraki toward the Meteora complex. The monastery holds an intimate scale that sets it apart from its larger neighbours. Its katholikon … Read more
Holy Trinity Monastery stands alone on one of the tallest, most isolated rock pinnacles at Meteora. Locals call it Agia Triada. The pillar rises sheer above the town of Kalabaka on the plain of Thessaly in central Greece. This monastery earns its fame twice over: for its dizzying, almost impossible setting, and for a starring … Read more
Rousanou Monastery ranks among the most photographed sights of the Meteora rock cluster. It stands on a lower, rounded pillar in the heart of the formation, wrapped so closely by the stone that walls and rock seem to merge. Small footbridges carry visitors across the narrow gap from the neighbouring rock, making the climb gentler … Read more
Varlaam Monastery sits on one of the tallest rock pillars in the Meteora region of Thessaly, in central Greece near Kalabaka. The monastery is dedicated to All Saints and ranks as the second largest of the six active Meteora houses. It stands directly next to the Great Meteoron, sharing a dramatic clifftop skyline. Carved steps … Read more
Hiking ranks among the finest ways to experience Meteora. A web of old monk footpaths and stone-cut steps threads between the giant rock pillars and links the monasteries above the plain. Walkers climb from the village of Kastraki through oak forest and bare rock, reaching the cloisters on foot rather than by road. The paths … Read more
Meteora crowns central Greece with six active Eastern Orthodox monasteries perched on giant sandstone-conglomerate pillars. The rocks rise sheer above the town of Kalabaka and the village of Kastraki in Thessaly. Monks settled these summits from the fourteenth century, turning inaccessible caves and crags into places of prayer. The complex earned UNESCO World Heritage status … Read more