One of Greece’s oldest and most revered monasteries, Moni Megalou Meteorou (the Great Meteoron Monastery) is a place of superlatives: highest, largest, most-visited.
From Moni Megalou Meteorou's towering perch (613m), visitors can view several other monasteries and gaze out over the monks' realm across the valley floor below. Access offers enough adventure, and there are enough diversions within to make a rewarding visit.
A Town on a Rock
From the parking area, the monastery looks like a child's fantasy of a medieval village: a shambolic jumble of stone and brick structures clinging to the top of a towering rock soaring above the plain. To visit, you first cross a daunting chasm. You go partway down stone steps and across a viaduct before entering a short and eerie tunnel. Next, narrow steps steeply ascend switchbacks to the official entrance. It's actually less daunting than it looks.
In the Monastery
In 1340, St Athanasios clambered to the top of Meteora's highest rock and described a feeling of meteoron, or levitation. Moni Megalou Meteorou was the intriguing result. Take your time exploring its hidden corners. Start inside at the katholikon, the main church, which features a thicket of hanging silver icons and a gold-leaf-gilded wooden iconostasis. Find a seat so you can appreciate the rich frescoes that cover nearly every surface.
Other Attractions
Monks wander the grounds, posing for selfies and answering questions. View precious 9th-century manuscripts and rare Byzantine icons in the monastery’s ecclesiastical museum and visit the well-preserved mid-16th-century kitchen.
