Church of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary

Kalambaka


The 14th-century frescoes in this Byzantine basilica, at Kalambaka’s highest point where the footpath sets off to Moni Agias Triados, are a match for anything you’ll see in the Meteora monasteries. This is the world’s only Orthodox church to centre on a free-standing pulpit, a relic of its 7th-century predecessor. Vespers are sung at 6.30pm.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Kalambaka attractions

1. Adhrakhti

0.23 MILES

A striking solitary rock column known as the adhrakhti (‘obelisk’) commands the skyline as you look up the valley from Kastraki village. Considered the…

2. Museum of Hellenic Culture

0.38 MILES

This enjoyable museum focuses on a beautifully displayed collection of antiquarian books, from versions of Aesop’s Fables to a 1567 edition of Homer. The…

3. Agios Andonios

0.43 MILES

This striking cave chapel, set high on the eastern flank of the Pixari rock face and recognisable by its array of coloured scarves, is visible from the…

4. Meteora Geological History Museum

0.58 MILES

Across from Kastraki’s village church, this simple museum tells the story of the Meteora, from the very beginning of the universe. Panel displays explain…

5. Moni Agias Triados

0.59 MILES

Of all the Meteora monasteries, Moni Agias Triados, which featured in the 1981 James Bond film For Your Eyes Only, feels the most remote. A long down-then…

6. Natural History & Mushroom Museum

0.61 MILES

Once you pass its forbidding modern exterior, this museum comes as a quirky surprise. Downstairs, dioramas display stuffed birds and animals ranging from…

7. Moni Agiou Stefanou

0.68 MILES

High above Kalambaka, at the end of the road, Moni Agiou Stefanou suffered considerable damage during and after WWII, and is less architecturally…

8. Moni Agias Varvaras Rousanou

0.82 MILES

Dramatically perched atop a steep pinnacle and accessed via a high narrow wooden bridge, Rousanou convent has an intimate atmosphere. Its small community…