The monastic community
Located in the northwest of
the Thessalian Plain, in the prefecture of Trikala, Meteora is a highly
striking group of monuments. With their architecture, painted decoration and relics,
the monasteries perfectly complement the complex and unique geological rock
formations in the area, some of which exceed 400 metres in height.
Six major monasteries are open to visitors;
other smaller abandoned, hermitages, countless wall paintings, hundreds of
relics in the form of icons, manuscripts, books, silver liturgical vessels,
holy vestments, articles of daily use and tributes all make Meteora the second
largest monastic complex in Greece after Mount Athos.
The name Meteora (suspended in the air) derives from St. Athanasius of Meteora, who visited the area
in 1344. Although it is unclear when the first ascetics arrived, the prevailing
view places the first anchorites on the rock of St. Stephen in the 12th
century. The first attempts to organize monastic life there are attributed to a brother
Nilus, on whose initiative the monks living in isolation in rock caves gathered
around the Skete of Stagoi, at the monastery of the Theotokos Doupiani, in the
mid-14th century.
Most of the monasteries at Meteora were
founded during the 14th century, and for some time were over twenty
in number. However, the conquest of Thessaly by the Ottoman Turks in 1393, and
the gradual decline and collapse of the Byzantine Empire, appear to have been a
key factor in the decline of the monastic community during the 15th century. The
foundation of Agia Triada (Holy Trinity) Monastery in 1475-76, together with
the new wall paintings in the old catholicon of Megalo Meteoro in 1483, attest
to a new era of prosperity and affluence for the Meteora monastic community,
involving intense building and artistic activity, above all in the 16th
century. Meteora suffered extensive damage and looting by the troops of Ali
Pasha in the early 19th century. However, after a long period of abandonment
and decay, a new era of prosperity has come to the six monasteries that can be
visited today, namely Megalo Meteoro, Agia Triada, Agios Stefanos, Agios
Nikolaos and the monasteries of Roussanou and Barlaam. Since 1989 Meteora has
been on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
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