For Your Eyes Only - the monasteries of the Meteora

Location:
Greece

an exploration of the precarous medieval monasteries in the Pindos mountains

By Steven Cassidy

Viewing the monasteries can be terrifying..

At one point I was perched on a rounded rock overlooking the massive valley of the Meteora. The surface was smoothe and shiny and the footing was precarious. Genuinely worrying was the other twenty people on this rock all trying to negotiate the tiny space and line up their cameras. Not a place for non-grip footwear. One slip and it was a quick drop into infinity.

But the view was one of the best I have ever seen. In front of us was a plinth of grey rock standing 2,000 ft high. A sense of scale was achieved with the Roussanou monastery at its base perched on its own rock. The medieval roofs of the monastery didn't even reach a fortieth of the size of the rock. The whole vista was breathtaking. It is easy to see why the monks who built these monasteries felt aweinspired by what they saw as Gods works around them.

Built as hermetic retreats during medieval times they cling to the summits of titanic monoliths inducing vertigo in all but the strongest of travellers. There, reached once by nets and ladders, they house chapels, breweries, gardens, cloisters, meditation cells and sweeping views over an astonishing mountain range. But there was something utterly Greek about them – the medieval stone walls contrasting with the sheer rock, the bearded monks themselves and the frescoes and icons. The Meteora is another world of spirituality with just that touch of bleakness.

The Meteora is one of the most famous and impressive tourist attractions in Greece. There are hundreds of plinths and titanic volcanic plugs dotting the landscape. The eye cannot take in the size of these titanic grey cylinders. Its a chaos of pinnacles - thousands of feet high - cones, plugs and stubby rounded cliffs. It was as if someone had plucked a set of asteroids from the sky and fitted them on earth. Why this area was chosen to build reclusive orthodox monasteries is obvious.

Part of the Meteoras charm is its remoteness. For hundreds of years there were rumours of floating monasteries and inaccessible mountains. During the second world war they were used by the resistance against the Nazis, and the communists used them in the Greek civil war. And although known to TV documentary makers and travel writers they really didn't get know until featured in a blockbuster movie back in 1981. When Roger Moore, Topol and Carole Bouquet arrived in Kalambaka to make For Your Eyes Only they discovered a unique cinematic location which soon became world famous and part of the Greek tourist circuit.

Two trains a day arrive from Athens' Larisa station on journey of five hours. The station is in the southeast corner of Kalambaka and the bus station is in the centre of town. There is no airstrip or runway in the Kalambaka/Kastraki area. Two towns lie in the shadow of the Pindos mountains. The first Kalambaka is the largest and stands in the southern shadow, the mountains on the most eastern side of the Meteora directly overlook it. The smaller is Kastraki, a charming village to the west of the Meteora. This is a more authentically "Greek" place to stay but does not have the tourist facilities of Kalambaka. Kalambaka was burnt by the Nazis in World War II so there are not many old buildings in town.

The first monastery I visited was Varlaam. As you get close the whole thing looks like a gothic fairytale. With its red sloping roofs, small church domes and streaked rock it did look like something out of a fantasy genre. The rope bridge over the 500ft chasm is easily traversed then it is up a set of stone stairs that wind around the rock. When you climb the steps and pass through the doors you will be led into the courtyard and loggia. The courtyard has a balustrade which has magnificent views of the plain of Thessaly.

Around here you will also see bearded monks as this is a working monastery. Most are very young, bearded and very polite - they must be used to dealing with hundreds of tourists. Most tourists head for the chapel and this is where the crowds build up. Its very small and dark (not more then ten foot wide) but is covered from top to bottom in peeling 14th century frescoes. The frescoes showed "the judgement of sinners" with those not making the grade being devoured by a huge fish/sea dragon. The pictures were much of a same - either the damned being consumed by hellfire or medieval patriarchs glaring back at me from the walls.

My second monastery is the Convent of Ayiou Stefanou. The convent did feel more feminised then Varlaam with a rose garden in the crevasse under the bridge and a topiary garden at the rear. The set of buildings was made out yellow stone and terracotta and the courtyard garden housed a set of cloisters. The chapel is small and covered in colourful fading frescoes. It is a small dark place with a wooden ceiling and dark marble narthex. Bright paintings of kings, shepherds, saints and the virgin mary cover every inch. And this being a convent there was a long line of female saints.

From here you get a sense of the Meteora being an otherworldly place. There is no sound up here but the wind and the burble of other tourists. What must life have been like in Kalambaka down the ages? Imagine the start of a day in the middle ages. The first morning light illuminates the folds and crevices of the mountains. The sound of matins echoes down from the monasteries and the peasants in the village get ready for a new day.

Further Information

Travel tips: The monasteries are pretty inacessible so it might be an idea to take a tour. Mine cost £100 and was an overnight from Athens. The advantage of this is that you are driven to the gates of the monasteries. And are saved an exhausting hike up the mountains

Must see/do at this place: There are buses up to Varlaam from Kalambaka. From there you could see a few monasteries before taking hiking trails back to the town. The buses leave early about 8.20am from Kalambaka. Also, there are agencies in town who do daily tours for about 50 Euros. This cuts out alot of the hassle of getting to monasteries but does mean you have to share them with the other tour parties. Also, do not forget about the dress code. No shorts, and both sexes must cover their shoulders. Women must wear skirts and men long trousers. And finally, there is no food or drink up at the monasteries. They are still living breathing places of worship and not theme parks. Bring any drinks or food with you. And on a hot day hiking up stone steps in the Meteora -be careful not to dehydrate.

You should avoid here: The tour groups think they can avoid the crush by arriving when the monasteries open at 9.00am. Unfortunately then they create their own crush. Perhaps later in the day is better for visiting.