After our crew arrived in Kalambaka ending our precarious journey on a
train designed by a madman and maintained by alcoholics, we soon relaxed
in the cool mountain air of this beautiful region of Greece. The small
town of kalambaka was built in the valley directly underneath the
mountains that is home to the few remaining monasteries. Most had been
destroyed by the Turks during their five hundred year occupation of
Greece. I guess nothing is sacred in the time of insane domination. The
ones that are remaining are incredible and are inspiring as to the
capabilities of man when not occupied in trying to exterminate each other.
The monasteries are scattered along the top of the bordering mountains,
the furtherest being about 20 kilometers from Kalambaka. There are many
ways to get to the monasteries, with buses, taxis and guided tours
available during most daylight hours and if you don't mind a strenuous
hike, they are fairly easy to locate. Only recently opened to tourists, they are an
absolute must see while in Greece.
The Meteora monasteries rise at the centre of Greece, where Pinios river
emerges from the deep canyons of the Pindus range and surges into the
Thessalonian plain. These are gigantic rocks etched by time into a variety
of shapes, gray stalagmites rising toward the sky. Appearing as nature's
gift to the pious who, driven by faith, or sheer madness, had opted for solitude and
a life of seperation from their fellow man.
The Monasteries, with their wooden galleries and corniced rooftops, crown
the summits of these formidable pinnacles. Precariously hanging over the
sinister abysses, with the Pindus range at their back and the vast plain,
woods, gorges and picturesque villages below, these unworldly hermitages
compose one of the most breathtaking sites on earth.
In the late Byzantine period and during Ottoman rule this monastic
community became a sanctuary of the persecuted. On these barren and
inaccessible rocks a centre of Byzantine art was created. The history of
the Meteora monastic community begins in the 11th century. During the 9th
century hermits settled in the caves and crevices of the rocks. On Sundays
and important holidays they gathered in Doupiani, near Kastraki (where the
monastery and church of the Virgin Mary was later built), to read mass. As
the number of monks increased, the cloisters of Doupiani and Stagi were
created.
The development of the community, however, may be more thoroughly traced
from the 14th century onward when the first monasteries were established.
Between 1356 and 1372 the monk Athanasius founded what was to become the
most important of all the Great Meteoron at Platis Lithos. Athanasius
imposed very strict rules on the community, including the exclusion of
women from the area.
In 1388 John Uresis, a disciple of Athanasius and a grandson of the
Serbian prince Stephen, retired to the monastery as monk Joseph and
endowed it with many riches and special privileges. Soon the Great
Meteoron gained preponderance over all of the communes and hermitages of
the area. The development of the monasteries, as well, led to the
illustrious period of monastic life particularly in the 15th and the 16th
centuries. Gradually the community began to deteriorate, of the
twenty-four monasteries that had been built throughout the years, only
a few continue to operate. In fact only five monasteries are still
inhabited today -the Great Meteoron, Agia Trias, Varlaam, Agios Stefano's
and Roussanou (the last two by nuns).
A good paved road allows easy access to each of the main monasteries and
they may be visited in succession on a single trip (21 km from Kalambaka
and back). Be sure to bring plenty of film and memory cards because even
after you leave the monasteries, the surrounding area is also quite picturesque.
On the left of the road to the monasteries, at the foot of the Meteora,
stands Doupiani hermitage and the 12th century chapel of the Virgin.
Nearby are the ruined monasteries of Pantocrator and Doupiani. Three km
from Kalambaka and again on our left is the monastery of Agios Nikolaos
Anapafsas. Built slightly before 1510 it was decorated in 1527 with
beautifully preserved frescoes by the famous hagiographer Theophanes the
Cretan. Close by are the ruins of the monastery of Agia Moni, built around
1315. Six km out, the road forks south and northward. At the turning, on
our right we go by the Roussanou monastery, probably built in 1288 and
renovated as a monastery in 1545. It contains frescoes of the Cretan
School, made in 1560.
Following the southern route, which will eventually take you to the
monastery of Agios Stephano's, we first came upon the Agia Trias monastery,
built between 1458 and 1476 by the monk Dometius. Situated on a
particularly beautiful pinnacle, it is reached by a circular flight of
stairs (approximately 140 steps). At the end of the road is the nunnery
and Museum of Agios Stephano's. A steep gorge separates the pinnacle from
the main cliff; the two rocks are connected by a bridge. Referred to as a
hermitage at the beginning of the century, in 1333 Agios Stephano's was
visited by Emperor Andronicus the III Paleologus.
The head of the saint is preserved in the monastery's cathedral Agios
Haralambos. In the old church of Agios Stephano's (1350) one can still
admire the beautiful gold-leaved wood carvings, wall paintings and old
icons.
Back to the crossroads and on the northern route one soon comes upon the
monastery of Varlaam by climbing 195 steps. It was built as late as 1517
by the brothers Theophanes and Nectarios, sons of a rich family from
Janena, on the site of the old hermitage of the hermit Varlaam. The
frescoes in the chapel of All Saints are by the famous hagiographer Franco
Catellano, done in 1548; the Narthex in 1566. The chapel of the Three
Hierarchy's was renovated in 1627.
The road stops at the Great Meteoron, the biggest and the most important
of the monasteries. In older days ascent to the monastery was made by
jointed ladders and by nets or baskets. Today one goes up a flight of 115
steep, irregular stairs cut into the rock face. Thanks to lavish
endowments the Great Meteoron became autonomous and acquired many valuable
works of art.
One should also visit the exquisite church of the Transfiguration with
fine frescoes, fascinating to the visitor, and an intricate twelve - sided
dome. Of interest too are the monastery's Refectory - today a Museum - and
its Library's numerous manuscripts and rare books. When stopping at these
isolated monasteries and looking at the Pindus range and the Thessalonian
plain down below, one understands why the hermits chose this spot in order
to serve their beliefs and evade persecution.
We spent three days in Kalambaka and made several trips to the
monasteries. We totally enjoyed our stay in western Greece and would
encourage everyone that comes to this ancient land to take the journey to
the Meteora monasteries. The images will remain long after your departure.
Travelers Digest
Review written by the touring editor; Mike Smith in August 2003
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