Meteora is the second largest and continuous presence since the establishment of the first ascetics monasteries in Greece. Throughout history the monasteries of Meteora were thirty in total. Of these thirty monasteries six are in operation today and receive many pilgrims. But there are many smaller monasteries, which are abandoned. Most of them were founded in the 14th century.
The name Meteora is newer and not mentioned by ancient writers. They took their name from Saint Athanasios the Meteorite, who was the founder of the Metamorfosis of Sotiros Monastery, is called the "flat stone”, which was first staged in 1344. According to the prevailing view, the first hermits settled in the 12 century. In the mid-14th century the monk Nile assembled the monks who lived isolated on the rocks inside the caves, around the hermitage of Doupiani.
The conquest of Thessaly by the Ottoman Turks (1393) and the gradual collapse and final fall of the Byzantine Empire in the 15th century, brought a decline in monastic life of Meteora.
During the last quarter of the 15th century. a recovery is observed, which is marked by the foundation of the monastery of Agia Triada (1475-1476) and the murals of the old ledger Great Meteora (1483).
During the period of Turkish rule in Thessaly (1393-1881) the Meteora monasteries functioned as places of hope. In the early 19th century the troops of Ali Pasha, brought destruction and looting in several of them.
The six visited monasteries of Meteora, is now restored and preserved for the most part in the mural decoration. In 1989, Unesco inscribed Meteora in the list of World Heritage Monuments as a particularly important cultural and natural objects.
Journeys to this location
