Monasteries of Meteora

It is difficult to argue or oppose to the fact that in the territory of modern Greece, there is perhaps the largest in Europe, the number of historical monuments, both the Hellenic era and the Middle Ages. And one of such illustrative examples, it is quite possible to include the famous monasteries of Meteora, which have not only their original layout, on top of the rock, but also having a no less amazing history.

History of Orthodoxy and monasteries of Meteora

In addition to the fact that the monasteries of Meteora belong to the largest Orthodox complex in Greece, the monastic complex rightfully belongs to one of the oldest religious buildings in Europe. Since, the very first mentions, about this monastery complex, in the surviving historical documents belong to the X century of our era. At the same time, unlike most similar Orthodox buildings, the monasteries of Meteora throughout their lifetime, and this is neither more nor less, but more than ten centuries, did not stop their religious and educational activities. And today the monastic complex, which is part of the Orthodox metropolis of the Church of Greece, continues its secular service.

No less remarkable is the monastery complex of Meteora, is also from the point of view of its geological location, which undoubtedly belongs to the category «The most interesting places in Europe». After all, the monastic complex is located on one of the so-called «table» mountains, which are rock formations, with almost vertical sides, the top of which has a practically flat surface.

According to many geologists, more than sixty million years ago, the cliffs of Thessaly were at the bottom of the prehistoric ocean, which are of volcanic origin. And with the ocean going, the softer rocks and bottom layers were eroded, leaving for the next millions of years the columnar rock formations, which in Europe practically, nowhere else are found.

How to get there?

Given that the monastery complex of Meteora is located in the mountains of Thessaly, which is in the north of Greece and not far from the small town of Trikala, which is only twenty-one kilometers, it’s not so difficult to get to this historical site. And, for this, at least it is necessary to get on one of the intercity buses, in the same Athens, following in the direction of Trikala, then in a few hours you can admire the mountains of Thessaly and the monastery complex of Meteora itself. So, tourism in this region of Greece is set at a fairly high level.