The monasteries of Meteora are one of the world’s most spectacular sacred sites. Located in the Thessaly region of north central Greece, the towering rocks of Meteora, meaning ‘rocks in the air’.
Paleolithic remains indicate settlements around the stones from between 100,000 to 40,000 BC. Hermits and ascetics have lived in the area since long before the Christian era. The arrival of Christianity began in the 8th century, organized monastic communities had developed by the 12th century, and by the mid 1500’s sixteen Greek Orthodox monasteries had been constructed upon the spires of stone.Most of the monasteries were abandoned and today only six can be visited. (12hrs duration)