Meteora

This article is about the spectacular rock formations deposited over millions of years leaving few signs of ver-
and Greek Orthodox monasteries. For other uses, see tical layering, and secondly the localised abrupt vertical
Meteora (disambiguation). weathering.

The Metéora (Greek: Μετέωρα, pronounced [mɛˈtɛoɾɐ],

literally “middle of the sky”, “suspended in the air” 2 History
or “in the heavens above” — etymologically related to
meteorology) - is a formation of immense monolithic pil- 2.1 Ancient History
lars and hills like huge rounded boulders which dominate
the local area. Caves in the vicinity of Metéora were inhabited contin-
It is also associated with one of the largest and uously between 50,000 and 5,000 years ago. The oldest
most precipitously built complexes of Eastern Orthodox known example of a man-made structure, a stone wall
monasteries in Greece, second in importance only to that blocked two-thirds of the entrance to the Theopetra
Mount Athos.[1] The six monasteries are built on natu- Cave, was constructed 23,000 years ago, probably as a
ral conglomerate pillars, at the northwestern edge of the barrier against cold winds – the Earth was experiencing an
Plain of Thessaly near the Pineios river and Pindus Moun- ice age at the time – and many Paleolithic and Neolithic
tains, in central Greece. artifacts have been found within the caves.[5][6]
Metéora is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List As early as the 11th century, monks occupied the caverns
under criteria[2] I, II, IV, V and VII.[3] of Meteora. However, monasteries were not built until
the 14th century, when the monks sought somewhere to
The nearest town is Kalambaka.
hide in the face of an increasing number of Turkish at-
tacks on Greece. At this time, access to the top was via
removable ladders or windlass. Nowadays, getting up is a
1 Geology lot simpler due to steps being carved into the rock during
the 1920’s. Of the 24 monasteries, only 6 (five male, one
female) are still functioning, with each housing less than
Beside the Pindos Mountains, in the western region of 10 individuals.[7]
Thessaly, these unique and enormous columns of rock
rise precipitously from the ground. But their unusual The cave of Theopetra is located 4 kilometres (2.5 mi)
form is not easy to explain geologically. They are not from Kalambaka. Its uniqueness from an archeological
volcanic plugs of hard igneous rock typical elsewhere, but perspective is that in it contains, within a single site, the
the rocks are composed of a mixture of sandstone and records of two greatly significant cultural transitions: The
conglomerate. replacement of Neanderthals by modern humans, and the
later transition from hunter-gathering to farming after the
The conglomerate was formed of deposits of stone, sand end of the last Ice Age. The cave consists of an immense
and mud from streams flowing into a delta at the edge of 500 square metres (5,400 sq ft) rectangular chamber at
a lake, over millions of years. About 60 million years ago the foot of a limestone hill, which rises to the northeast
during the Paleogene Period [4] a series of earth move- above the village of Theopetra, with an entrance 17 me-
ments pushed the seabed upwards, creating a high plateau tres (56 ft) wide by 3 metres (9.8 ft) high. It lies at the
and causing many vertical fault lines in the thick layer of foot of the Chasia mountain range, which forms the nat-
sandstone. The huge rock pillars were then formed by ural boundary between Thessaly and Macedonia prefec-
weathering by water, wind and extremes of temperature tures, while the Lithaios River, a tributary of the Pineios
on the vertical faults. It is unusual that this conglomer- River, flows in front of the cave. The small Lithaios River
ate formation and type of weathering are confined to a flowing literally on the doorsteps of the cave meant that
relatively localised area within the surrounding mountain cave dwellers had always easy access to fresh, clean water
formation. without the need to cover daily long distances to find it.[8]
This type of rock formation and weathering process has Excavations and research and have discovered petrified
happened in many other places locally and throughout the diatoms, which have contributed to understanding the
world, but what makes Meteora’s appearance special is Palaeo-climate and climate changes. Radiocarbon dating
firstly the uniformity of the sedimentary rock constituents evidences human presence dating back 50,000 years.[5]

1
2 4 ART, LITERATURE, MUSIC AND FILM INSPIRED BY METEORA
The cave is open to the public.
2.2 Monasteries
In the 9th century AD, an ascetic group of hermit monks
moved up to the ancient pinnacles; they were the first peo-
ple to inhabit Metéora since the Neolithic Era. They lived
in hollows and fissures in the rock towers, some as high as
1800 ft (550m) above the plain. This great height, com-
bined 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 spe-
cial days to worship and pray in a chapel built at the foot
of a rock known as Dhoupiani.[1]
The exact date of the establishment of the monaster-
ies is unknown. By the late 11th and early 12th cen-
turies, a rudimentary monastic state had formed called
the Skete of Stagoi and was centered around the still-
standing church of Theotokos (mother of God).[1] 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 increas-
ingly 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, be-
ginning in the 14th century.[1] Six remain today.
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 deliber-
ately) difficult, requiring either long ladders lashed to-
gether or large nets used to haul up both goods and peo-
ple. This required quite a leap of faith – the ropes were
replaced, so the story goes, only “when the Lord let them
break”.[9] In the words of UNESCO, “The net in which
intrepid pilgrims were hoisted up vertically alongside the
373 metres (1,224 ft) cliff where the Varlaam monastery
dominates the valley symbolizes the fragility of a tradi-
tional way of life that is threatened with extinction.”[10]
Until the 17th century, the primary means of conveying
goods and people from these eyries was by means of bas-
kets and ropes.[11]
In 1921, Queen Marie of Romania visited Meteora, be-
coming the first woman ever allowed to enter the Great
Meteoron monastery.[12] In the 1920s there was an im-
provement 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. Many art treasures were stolen.
Six of the monasteries remain today.[10] Of these six, four
are inhabited by men, and two by women. The monaster-
ies are now tourist attractions.
3 List of Monasteries
At their peak in the sixteenth century there were 24
monasteries at Metéora in Greece. They were created
to serve monks and nuns following the teachings of the
Eastern Orthodox Church. Much of the architecture of
these buildings is Athonite[13] in origin. Today there are
six still functioning, while the remainder are in largely in
ruin. Most of these are perched on high cliffs, now ac-
cessible by staircases cut into the rock formations. Of
the six functioning monasteries, the Holy Monastery of
St. Stephen and the Holy Monastery of Roussanou are
inhabited by nuns while the remainder are inhabited by
monks. The total monastic population of the Metéora
monasteries in 2015 was 66, comprising 15 monks in four
monasteries and 41 nuns in two monasteries.
4 Art, literature, music and film in-
spired by Meteora
• Meteora, a 2012 Greek film devoted entirely to a
story set in the Monastery of the Holy Trinity, Me-
teora.
• The monastery of Holy Trinity was a filming loca-
tion in the 1981 James Bond movie For Your Eyes
Only[18]
• Scenes from Tintin and the Golden Fleece were also
shot at the Meteora monasteries.
• Michina, the main setting of the movie Pokémon:
Arceus and the Jewel of Life is based on Meteora.
• Meteora is the main location in the fiction book The
Spook’s Sacrifice, by Lancashire author Joseph De-
laney
• The Holy Monastery of St. Nicholas Anapausas was
an inspiration for St. Francis Folly in the computer
game Tomb Raider and Tomb Raider: Anniversary.
• One of the surviving characters in Max Brooks's
zombie apocalypse novel, "World War Z" finds
refuge and peace of mind in the monasteries during
and after the zombie war.
 3

• The 2012 movie Metéora directed by Spiros

Stathoulopoulos is set in the monasteries and scenery
of Meteora

• Primary location and name of Volume 3 in the

comic book series “Le Décalogue” by French author
Frank Giroud. • The Rousanou
monastery.
• The Eyrie of Vale of the House of Arryn from Game
of Thrones is based on Meteora

• The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 DLC Map

“Sanctuary” is set in the monasteries of the Mete-
ora.

• The 2003 album by Linkin Park takes its name from

the site.

•
• The monasteries were a filming location for the 1976 Panorama of the Meteora valley
action movie Sky Riders [19] starring Susannah York,
James Coburn and Robert Culp.

• Meteora is one of several Greek locations in the

fiction book Time Stands Still by California author
Stacy Froumis

• In The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles episode

“Travels with Father”, Indiana and his father visit
Meteor.
•
view at Meteora valley

5 Gallery

• Meteora in the •
early morning hours. view at monastery Varlaam

• The Rou-
sanou, the Nikolaos and the Grand Meteora •
monasteries. view at monastery Roussanou
4 8 EXTERNAL LINKS

7 Further reading
• Reader’s Digest. Strange Worlds Amazing Places
(1994), 432 pp. Published: Reader’s Digest Associ-
ation Limited, London. ISBN 0-276-42111-6

• Panoramic
view at monasteries Varlaam and Grand Metereon 8 External links
• Suspended in the air | Meteora timelapse video of
Meteora
6 Notes • Natural History Museum of Meteora and Mush-
room Museum Kalambaka
[1] Sofianos, D.Z.: “Metéora”. Holy Monastery of Great Me-
teoro, 1991.

[2] retrieved November 7, 2007

[3] retrieved November 2, 2007

[4]

[5] Y. Facorellis, N. Kyparissi-Apostolika and Y. Maniatis

2001 The cave of Theopetra, Kalambaka: radiocarbon ev-
idence for 50,000 years of human presence. Radiocarbon
43 (2B): 1029-48

[6] Archived December 6, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.

[7] “Meteora”. www.beautifulworld.com. Retrieved 2016-

09-27.

[8] Theopetra’s Prehistoric Cave from Visit Meteora Travel.

Retrieved 26, Jul 2013.

[9] retrieved November 9, 2007

[10] http://www.sacred-destinations.com/greece/
meteora-monasteries.htm retrieved November 3,
2007

[11] retrieved September 11, 2007

[12] http://www.revistafelicia.ro/articol_1012281/regina_
maria_prima_femeie_la_marea_meteora__fotografii_
inedite_din_interiorul_manastirii_facute_chiar_de_
regina.html

[13] Referring to Mount Athos

[14] retrieved November 2, 2007

[15] retrieved May 22, 2009

[16] Meteora - Greece

[17] retrieved September 11, 2007

[18] Internet Movie DataBase

[19] http://blackholereviews.blogspot.com/2010/12/
sky-riders-1976-best-of-hang-gliding.html
 5

9 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

9.1 Text
• Meteora Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteora?oldid=754021326 Contributors: Magnus Manske, Brion VIBBER, Eloquence,
Mav, Ortolan88, Olivier, Nevilley, Jeandunston, Gabbe, Ahoerstemeier, Bogdangiusca, Ori Artman, Choster, K1Bond007, AnonMoos,
Lowellian, Cholling, Aphaia, Stevietheman, H Padleckas, Ary29, Rich Farmbrough, Flapdragon, Cherry blossom tree, Etz Haim,
Markussep, Wareh, Acarvin, Darwinek, Runner1928, Redf0x, Ghirlandajo, Alex.g, Newnoise~enwiki, James Brown, BD2412, Rjwilmsi,
Rillian, Suirotra, Punk5, FlaBot, Eubot, Chobot, Korg, YurikBot, RussBot, C777, Gaius Cornelius, Gillean666, Chriwiki~enwiki, Daun-
realist, Grafen, Benne, BOT-Superzerocool, Deville, Codrinb, Allens, GrinBot~enwiki, Samuel Blanning, SmackBot, AndreasJS, Renesis,
Eskimbot, Kintetsubuffalo, Gilliam, Hmains, TimBentley, Ctbolt, DHN-bot~enwiki, Kotra, Tamfang, Cplakidas, OrphanBot, Khoikhoi,
Ma.rkus.nl, KRBN, Mathias-S, Arstchnca, Hu12, Exwhysee, Joey80, Van helsing, Noha307, ShelfSkewed, Cydebot, Danapit, Mato,
Lugnuts, Eu.stefan, Taspapas, VassilisUK, Thijs!bot, Racaille, Marek69, Australian boy, Nick Number, Blathnaid, Yupik, Tillman, Al-
phachimpbot, JAnDbot, Barek, MER-C, El Greco, Whamilton, Jllm06, The Anomebot2, Panser Born, Khalid Mahmood, Zachary crim-
sonwolf, Kostisl, Athaenara, GeoTraveller, Ew4, Student7, Cuthead, KylieTastic, DorganBot, Danimir, MishaPan, Idioma-bot, Deor,
VolkovBot, Bovineboy2008, MenasimBot, Opirnia, Pwnage8, Kritikos99, Andreas Kaganov, Steven J. Anderson, X-Weinzar, StAnselm,
Squelle, Mywood, Stormwatch70, Mimihitam, Oxymoron83, Rastabilly, Fratrep, Evlahos, SlackerMom, Martarius, ClueBot, Morn-
ingstar1814, Podzemnik, Tigerboy1966, Lgonggr, Southdevonian, Takeaway, Gwguffey, SchreiberBike, Thingg, Spamhunt, DoctorEric,
DumZiBoT, XLinkBot, Addbot, Cst17, Daemin, FiriBot, LinkFA-Bot, Lightbot, Zorrobot, Luckas-bot, Yobot, ClockwerkMao, Pengui-
nUSA, AnomieBOT, Rjanag, Kingpin13, ArthurBot, Xqbot, Sir Stanley, GrouchoBot, Cuddlefish1, FrescoBot, Strangways, Hussainhssn,
DrilBot, I dream of horses, Kliaskou, RedBot, Elekhh, Greco22, Podruznik, Dante4848, EmausBot, John of Reading, WikitanvirBot,
Markcoutis, Stephencdickson, Erasmus.new, Awolf58, Donner60, Tot12, ClueBot NG, Widr, Helpful Pixie Bot, Plutosdogscat, Alexan-
dros Maragos, Martin St. Louis, Compfreak7, Rjdeadly, Autokrator, Cyberbot II, Dexbot, Ohff, Bill650, VaggelisK, Kourelis, Babitaarora,
Kostaschasiotis, YiFeiBot, Lorra4ro, Tang3li2, Hollyrood, Dennis David Auger, Happyturtleguy, Hampton11235, Yosoyeljaro, Adjectified
Noun, DemigodFestus, Meteora museum, Anna deborah, GreenC bot, Peprika16, Jamesalbert2, Kaizagsh and Anonymous: 123

9.2 Images
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JPG License: Public domain Contributors: Own work Original artist: Glen Larson at en.wikipedia
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6 9 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

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artist: ?
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