Meteora is a complex of rocks in the central Greece that is included into UNESCO world heritage. It is definetely the place that leaves memories in your soul for the whole life.
Monks Find Home on the Cliffs
They say that caves in Meteora were inhabited between 50 000 and 5 000 years ago. However the monasteries appeared late after. First ascetics came to these places in 9th century. Some of them wanted to escape from daily problems and needs, others to trample on flesh and to get closer to the God.
Noone knows for sure when the first monastery was built at Meteora. But it is known how the biggest monastery existing until now was founded.Great Meteora takes its start from Saint Athanasios the Meteorite, who came from the holy Athon and was dreaming to build a monastery with systemized rools. In 1334 he gathered 14 monks and came to the highest cliff (613 meters) to built a monastery. They say that Athanasios gave the name to the cliffs that we know today as Meteora.
The shocking fact is that monks were climbing the rocks without any special tools. Until 17th century the only way to get goods to the top was baskets and ropes. The building of the monastery took from 20 to 70 years. Historians say that in 16th century there were 24 monasteries at Meteora. However, now only 6 left (4 men and 2 women).
Meteora: Travel Tips
Our visit to Meteora started at Trikala (25km from Meteora) were we decided to stay for a night. It is also possible to stay at the nearest village
Kalabaka, but it doesn’t have anything to see except the view at the cliffs. So if you want to go for walk in the evening or to have a drink somewhere, we recommend to stay at Trikala. By the way, it has much more choices of hotels and apartments.
When going to Meteora you should be ready that the open hours are not very long. Moreover, some monasteries are closed on a certain day of the week. That’s why better to go there early in the morning, so you will be able to see as much as possible. We would like to provide you with summer working schedule.
Monasteries Summer (April 1st to October 31st) Timetable
St. Stephen’s Nunnery
Visiting Hours: 9:00 to 13:30 and 15:30 to 17:30.
The monastery stays closed on Mondays.
Great Meteoron Monastery
Visiting Hours: 09:00 to 15:00.
The monastery stays closed on Tuesdays.
Roussanou Monastery
Visiting Hours: 09:00 to 17:00 (09:30 – 17:00 on Sundays).
The monastery stays closed on Wednesdays.
Holy Trinity Monastery
Visiting Hours: 09:00 to 17:00.
The monastery stays closed on Thursdays.
Varlaam Monastery
Visiting Hours: 09:00 to 16:00.
The monastery stays closed on Fridays.
St. Nikolaos Anapafsas Monastery
Visiting Hours: 08:00 to 16:00.
The monastery stays closed on Fridays.
We also noticed that tourists that take a bus tour go only to two biggest monasteries. That is the reason for crowds and noise there. But according to our opinion, the small monasteries deserve not less attention. Exactly there you will be able to enjoy serenity and try to understand the feelings of the monks that live there.
It should be noticed that the entrance is free only for Greeks. Foreigners will be asked to pay for the entrance approximately 1,80 euro per each monastery. Note that you should also be dressed properly. In case not having a long skirt you will find it for free there.
While having a walk at Meteora we were excited with the views that are definetely unique. But more than that we were shocked how much spiritual power the monks should have to climb that rocks in the past. However, you can also see climbers there nowadays.
Meteora really deserves visiting! It is a trip for a lifetime. Moreover, this region in Greece is full of interesting places, so you can combine your trip to holy monasteries with visiting natural sites or small town. If you are interested read our further articles.
B&P Trips 