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Meteora

Holy Meteora - this Monastic Community of the Rocks - constitute the biggest and most important, after Mount Athos, Orthodox Monastic Centre of the Hellenic region. At the north-west part of the Thessalian plain and since the ancient times, the stone giants of Holy Meteora rise, silent and motion-less, proud and imposing, among the mountain masses of Pindos and Antihasia, near in the embrace of Pinios river, resembling dominating natural towers being the guardian angels of Kalambaka and Kastraki.

The stone forest of these God-made rocks composes one from the most miraculous and imposing geological phenomena of our planet. The most prevailing theory supports that the creation of the rocks is due to a delta-shaped cone - made of river stones and mud, which was poured into the Thessalian lake. After the geological break-up of the mountainous masses of Olympus and Ossa, the waters of the lake found an exit to the Aegean Sea through the valley of Tempi. It was then that this delta-shaped mass (because of the erosive effect of earthquakes, winds and rainfalls and with the passage of millions of years) was split into stones and enormous rocks that are occasionally four hundred metres high!...

On the bare, untouched tops of these Godly rocks, the daring and determined ascetic discovered the path that leads to the celestial lofts and the much desirable life with God. Therefore the rocks that are found between earth and heaven - offering us the ascetic staircase of intellectual ascent - were named "meteora", taking their name after St. Athanassios the Meteorite (founder of the Monastery of Great Meteoron) in the 14th century. Since then, the Holy Meteora have been a living proof and testimony of Christ, the living continuity of His One and Only Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. The Monastic Life, in the Orthodox Church, is a God-created institution that presupposes the special call and special gifts of the Holy Spirit. The aim of Monasticism is purification, to join God through obedience, exercise and prayer. The monks test themselves daily with fast, little rest, work, while praying fervently no only

for their own salvation, but also for the salvation of the world.

However, since the 11th century, the first hermits have climbed and inhabited the caverns of these airy rocks. Towards the end of the 11th and the beginning of the 12th centurythe first small ascetic town is established, the Skete of Doupiani or Stagoi, the centre of worship being the church of Virgin Mary - the "Kyriakon" of the Skete. During the 14th century St. Athanasios the Meteorite sets up the first organised monastic community on the biggest rock of the stone forest, the Big Platylithos or Great Meteoron - and specifies its "typikon", thus signaling the presence of the Monastic Communities of the Rocks, the Holy Meteora.

Ever since, twenty four monasteries and many pre-existing small churches, askitaria, cells, prayer locations, hermitages, caverns, pillars (stylites) flourish, scattered on all the meteorite rocks, glorifying Jesus Christ. They are frequently restored or established, mainly up to the 16th century when the Monastic Community reaches its peak after 600 years of continuous presence on the rocks.

Of these twenty four monasteries, some are in ruins (Agio Pnevma, St Dimitrios, Agia Moni, pan- tocrator, Ipsilotera, St Georgios, Ipapanti etc) while the Holy Monasteries of Great Meteoron (Monastery of the Transfiguration), Varlaam (All Saints), Agia Triada, St Stefanos, Rousanou (St Barbara) and St Nikolaos Anapafsas are still open and preserved in excellent condition. Meteora is a sacred ground. It is a holy land, created and guarded by God, because every rock, every cave, every ravine, every stone have been sanctified. After all, a great number of saints, ascetics And martyrs of this Monastic Community, for 600 years, have walked and touched upon and prayed in all corners, on all tops and in all ravines of this place. Holy Meteora have been proclaimed from the UNESCO and other international organisms as a protected monument, due to their Christian, historical, hagiographic, artistic and geological contribution to the world.

Since October 1995, according to a state law (No 2531/11.10.95) and following a decision taken by the Holy Assembly of the Church of Greece, the region of Holy Meteora has been nominated as "a sacred land, unaltered and inviolable", an act that ensures its Orthodox authenticity and effective protection.

Continuing the orthodox ascetic and monastic presence on Holy Meteora - which offered numerous Saints and Holy men to the Orthodox Church - the current holy communities with their love for Christ, in restless collaboration and noble rivalry, offer rich intellectual, missionary, restoration and renovation, social and national work, thus becoming sources of intellectual support for all people.

Holy monastery of great Meteoron

On the highest and largest in area rock of Holy Meteora stands the Holy Monastery for men of Great Meteoron (Transfiguration of Christ The Saviour), which was built around 1340 by St. Athanasios of Meteora (1302-1380) - a great personality in monastic life, who organised the first coenobium at Holy Meteora. His follower and fellow-founder was the former King John Ouresis Palaeologos, Osios loasaf (1350-1423). The visitor to the monastery can enjoy: The Tower (1520), which has the dominating feature of the balkony with the net; the Cellar (today a folk museum exhibiting old tools and implements); the Ossuary; the Church of the Transfiguration of The Saviour (1388, the Sacristine of the Church - 1545, the main Church and Narthex under abbot Symeon of loannina), as on Mount Athos type with wall-paintings of exceptional Byzantine art of 1483 in Sacristine (Macedonian School) and of 1552 the main Church and Narthex (Cretan School; according to the view of many experts, the work of George the pupil of Theofanes the Cretan); the Dining-room (1557, today a museum with relics of the Monastery); the kitchen (1557, today a museum exhibiting old copper, earthen and wooden kitchen utensils).

There exist, though not open to the Public, the Hospital providing care for the aged (1572, today under reconstruction and refitting) and the chapels of: Theometoros (Our Lady of Meteoritissas Petras, 14th century), John the Baptist (early 17th century), Sts Constantine and Elleni (1789) and St. Nektarios.

The Monastery is the guardian of manuscript codes of great artistic value such as gold-seals, patriarchic vestments and other manuscripts, valuable historic documents, rare old scripts (15th-19th cent.), portable post-Byzantine icons (14th and 15th cent.), old hand made artistry such as wood carvings, gold-embroidery, silver etc.

Holy monastery of Varlaam

On an impressive, but much smaller area, very close to the great Platylithos, stands the rock