Meteora

The Metéora (, "suspended rocks", "suspended in the air" or "in the heavens above") is one of the largest and most important complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Greece, second only to Mount Athos.Sofianos, D.Z.: "Metéora". Holy Monastery of Great Meteoro, 1991. The six monasteries are built on natural sandstone rock pillars, at the northwestern edge of the Plain of Thessaly near the Peneios river and Pindus Mountains, in central Greece. The nearest town is Kalambaka. The Metéora is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List under criteriahttp://whc.unesco.org/en/criteria/ retrieved November 7, 2007 I, II, IV, V and VII.http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/455/documents/ retrieved November 2, 2007

History

In the 9th century, an ascetic group of hermit monks moved up to the ancient pinnacles.

They were the first people to inhabit Metéora. They lived in hollows and fissures in the rock towers, some of which reach 1800 ft (550m) above the plain. This great height, combined with the sheerness of the cliff walls, kept away all but the most determined visitors. Initially the hermits led a life of solitude, meeting only on Sundays and special days to worship and pray in a chapel built at the foot of a rock known as Dhoupiani. As early as the 11th century AD hermit monks were believed to be living among the caves and cutouts in the rocks.

The exact date of the establishment of the monasteries is unknown. By the late 11th or early 12th century a rudimentary monastic state had formed called the Skete of Stagoi and was centered around the still-standing church of Theotokos (mother of God). By the end of the 12th century, an ascetic community had flocked to Metéora.

In 1344, Athanasios Koinovitis from Mount Athos brought a group of followers to Metéora. From 1356 to 1372, he founded the great Meteoron monastery on Broad Rock, which were perfect for the monks; they were safe from political upheaval and had complete control of the entry to the monastery. The only means of reaching it was by climbing a long ladder, which was drawn up whenever the monks felt threatened.

At the end of the 14th century, the Byzantine Empire's 800-year reign over northern Greece was being increasingly threatened by Turkish raiders who wanted control over the fertile plain of Thessaly. The hermit monks, seeking a retreat from the expanding Turkish occupation, found the inaccessible rock pillars of Meteora to be an ideal refuge. More than 20 monasteries were built, beginning in the 14th century. Six remain today. There is a common belief that St. Athanasius (founder of the first monastery) did not scale the rock, but was carried there by an eagle.http://www.frommers.com/destinations/themeteora/1665010001.html retrieved March 20

In 1517, Nectarios and Theophanes built the monastery of Varlaám, which was reputed to house the finger of St John and the shoulder blade of St Andrew.

Access to the monasteries was originally (and deliberately) difficult, requiring either long ladders lashed together or large nets used to haul up both goods and people. This required quite a leap of faith – the ropes were replaced, so the story goes, only "when the Lord let them break".http://travelwithachallenge.com/Greece-Meteora.htm retrieved November 9, 2007 In the words of UNESCO, "The net in which intrepid pilgrims were hoisted up vertically alongside the cliff where the Varlaam monastery dominates the valley symbolizes the fragility of a traditional way of life that is threatened with extinction."http://www.sacred-destinations.com/greece/meteora-monasteries.htm retrieved November 3, 2007 In the 1920s there was an improvement in the arrangements. Steps were cut into the rock, making the complex accessible via a bridge from the nearby plateau. During World War II the site was bombed and many art treasures were stolen.

Until the 17th century, the primary means of conveying goods and people from these eyries was by means of baskets and ropes.http://www.newsfinder.org/site/more/meteora_connecting_with_heaven/ retrieved September 11, 2007

Only six of the monasteries remain today. Of these six, five are inhabited by men, one by women. Each monastery has fewer than 10 inhabitants. The monasteries are now amongst the most popular tourist sites in the world and now serve primarily as museums.

Geology

Studies suggest that the pinnacles are formed about 60 million years ago during the Tertiary Period.Meteora - Greece Weathering and earthquakes then shaped them into their present shape.

Beside the Pindhos Mountains, at the western region of the Thessaly plain in the middle of northern Greece, these sandstone rocks rise from the ground. The rocks are composed of a mixture of sandstone and conglomerate. They were formed about 60 million years ago. A series of earth movements pushed the seabed upwards, creating a high plateau and causing many fault lines to appear in the thick layer of sandstone.

Continuous weathering by water, wind and extremes of temperature turned them into huge rock pillars, marked by horizontal lines which geologists maintain were made by the waters of a prehistoric sea. Greek historian Herodotus wrote in the 5th century BC that local people believed the plain of Thessaly had once been a sea. If this was accurate, there was most probably an inundation at the end of the last Ice Age, around 8000 BC. However, he failed to mention the rocks of Metéora, and nor are they recorded in the writings of other ancient Greek authors. This has led to the belief that the pinnacles did not exist 2000 years ago; a theory dismissed by modern geologists.

Climate

The climate in the region varies greatly according to the time of year. It may be sweltering during summertime, but extremely cold in wintertime. Rainfall is generally heavy all year round, especially at higher altitudes, but the driest time of the year is during summer .

List of Monasteries

All of these monasteries are located at Metéora in Greece, and most are perched on high cliffs and accessible by staircases cut into the rock formations. They were created to serve monks and nuns following the teachings of the Greek Orthodox Church. Much of the architecture of these buildings is AthoniteReferring to Mt. Athos in origin. Of the 6 intact monasteries, only the Holy Monastery of St. Stephen is inhabited by nuns.

Literature, music and film inspired by Meteora

• The monastery of Holy Trinity was a filming location in the 1981 James Bond movie For Your Eyes Only.Internet Movie DataBase
• Scenes from Tintin and the Golden Fleece were also shot at the Meteora monasteries.
• Meteora and the monastery of Holy Trinity inspired the book The Lost Throne, published in 2008 by New York Times bestselling author Chris Kuzneski.
• The rock band Linkin Park released an album called Meteora topping the Billboard 200's album charts in 2003, inspired by the rocks in central Greece.
• Francesco's Mediterranean Voyage is a BBC Television documentary series first aired in 2008
• The place became a location for the animated film Arceus and the Jewel of Life.
• Meteora is the main location in the fiction book The Spook's Sacrifice, by Lancashire author Joseph Delaney

Gallery

Sources

• Reader's Digest. Strange Worlds Amazing Places (1994), 432 pp. Published: Reader's Digest Association Limited, London. ISBN 0 276-42111 6

Notes

External links

• A local site with information on the monasteries and area.
• Meteora photo gallery by Andy Carvin, March 2001.
• Meteora entry on Walkopedia

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