Central Greece - Greece - page 427

The name Meteora derives from the Greek adjective meteoros , which means 'suspended
in the air'; the word 'meteor' is from the same root.
From the 11th century, hermit monks lived in the scattered caverns of Meteora. By the
14th century, the Byzantine power of the Roman Empire was on the wane and Turkish
incursions into Greece were on the rise, so monks began to seek safe havens away from
the bloodshed. The inaccessibility of the rocks of Meteora made them an ideal retreat.
The earliest monasteries were reached by climbing removable ladders. Later, wind-
lasses were used so monks could be hauled up in nets. A story goes that when curious
visitors asked how frequently the ropes were replaced, the monks' stock reply was 'when
the Lord lets them break'.
These days, access to the monasteries is by steps that were hewn into the rocks in the
1920s, and by a convenient access road.
THE METEORA: GEOLOGY OF A ROCK FOREST
The jutting pinnacles and cliffs of the Meteora were once sediments of an inland
sea. About 10 million years ago vertical tectonic movements pushed the entire re-
gion out of the sea at a sloping angle. The same tectonic movements caused the
flanking mountains to move closer, exerting extreme pressure on the hardened
sedimentary deposits. The Meteora developed netlike fissures and cracks. The
weathering and erosion that followed formed the towering outcrops of rock that
now vault heavenwards. The rocks were conglomerates of many types: limestone,
marble, serpentinite and metamorphic, interspersed with layers of sand and shale.
By the dawn of human civilisation, the rocks had weathered and eroded into
fantastic shapes; the sandstone and shale washed away, isolating blocks of rock
and cliffs. Where erosion was less extreme, caves and overhangs appeared in the
rock face.
As early as the 11th century AD, these awesome natural caves had become the
solitary abodes of hermit monks. Eventually, 24 monasteries were built on these
pinnacles. Today, six are active religious sites, occupied by monks or nuns and vis-
ited by the faithful and curious alike.
Sights
Before setting out to the area's monasteries, decide on a route. If you start early, you can
see several, if not all, mones (monasteries) in one day.
The main sealed road surrounding the entire Meteora complex of rocks and monaster-
ies is about 15km in length; with your own transport, you can easily visit them all.