Sunday 29 June 2014

METEORA, GREECE

The Metéora (Greek: Μετέωρα, pronounced [mɛˈtɛoɾɐ], lit. "middle of the sky", "suspended in the air" or "in the heavens above" — etymologically related to "Meteorite") is one of the largest and most important complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Greece, second only to Mount Athos. The six monasteries are built on natural sandstone rock pillars, at the northwestern edge of the Plain of Thessaly near the Pineios river and Pindus Mountains, in central Greece. The nearest town is Kalambaka. The Metéora is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

All of the monasteries that are located at Metéora 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 Athonite in origin. Of the six intact monasteries, the Holy Monastery of St. Stephen and Monastery Roussanou are inhabited by nuns.

This post is part of the Weekly TopShot meme,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme,
and also part of the inSPIREd Sunday meme.
















3 comments:

  1. OMG, Nick - how does that not fall off the hill? i wonder if that means if they have several earthquakes they will be off the lands? wild??! how scary. what about high winds? i am truly amazed??! ( :

    you find the coolest churches. awesome!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. What amazing pictures. I love the Greek monasteries.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What amazing pictures. I love the Greek monasteries.

    ReplyDelete

I love to hear from you, so please comment. I appreciate constructive criticism as it improves my skills as an amateur photographer.