Megalo Meteoro, the largest and most historic monastery

Access to Meteora

Meteora is located in the prefecture of Trikala and access to it is very easy as from the capital of the prefecture you simply follow the signs to the small town of Kalambaka , which is located just below the majestic rocks of Meteora .

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The distance from Trikala to the Meteora is about 25 km and you can reach them by following the long straight road to Kalambaka. Just before entering Kalambaka, you will follow the right road Kalambaka – Vlachava and there is a sign for Meteora.

Alternatively, you can enter Kalambaka and take the road that passes through Kastraki and between the imposing volumes and under some monasteries.

Air transport of monks to Meteora

Meteora

The Meteora are one of the most famous and important geological monuments of our planet. Moreover, it is one of the most important and holiest places of Orthodoxy as it has been classified as the second Mount Athos, which has been continuing the monastic tradition for centuries in a place that impresses, causing those who see it up close to admiration and awe at the same time.

A natural consequence was the inclusion of the Meteora site in the World Heritage List of UNESCO (see description from the official site of UNESCO in English), which included it in its list in 1988.

Saint Athanasius the Meteorite

A dominant role in the creation of the monasteries and human intervention in this unique and beautiful landscape was played by Hosios Athanasios the Meteorite, who founded the first and largest monastery of Meteora, the Ι. Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Saviour or Great Meteor in the mid-14th century.

In fact, it was Saint Athanasios who gave the wider area its current name, naming the first large rock called “Meteoros”, which was called Platy Lithos until then, on which he climbed and settled in 1340 to build the foundations of the first and largest monastery of Great Meteoros.

History of the Monastery of Great Meteor

It took centuries, of course, until the Holy Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Saviour or, as it is often called, the Great Meteor, acquired its present form. Hosios Athanasios along with 14 other monks managed to climb and settle on the towering rock about 420 meters high from the ground and 615 from the sea.

Monastery of Megalo Meteoro – Ossuary

Although he was a monk of Mount Athos, he was forced by the difficult conditions of the time and the raids of the Turks to seek a quieter place for his chosen monastic life.

Platys Lithos was the suitable place where he built his shelter initially and then the first temple of the monastery, the temple of Theomitoros, while at the same time he began to organize the first systematic monastic community.

His work was worthily continued by the second founder of the Monastery of the Great Meteor and successor of Saint Athanasius, Saint Ioasaph, son of the Greek-Serbian king of Epirus and Thessaly. Hosios Ioasaph enlarged the original church, creating the present magnificent catholic of the monastery, the church of the Transfiguration. Over the years, the Monastery of Megalo Meteorou Meteorou has expanded considerably, to the point of having a two-storey hospital-giro hospital which was built in 1572.

It became the centre of monastic life, the largest of the 24 monasteries of Meteora, today only six of them are in operation, and a great example of the strength of the people and the faith that exists within them.

See in the Holy Monastery of Megalo Meteoro

Today the monastery continues its monastic work and is open to the public and the faithful who wish to worship there, most days of the week. It is worth visiting and admiring the traditional kitchen of 1557 with its unique domestic utensils, the old refectory, and that of 1557, which is one of the most characteristic examples of monastic architecture, and the sacristy which is housed in the area where the old hospital-gymnasium used to operate.

Old kitchen in the Monastery of Megalo Meteorou Meteorou

Finally, in the Monastery of Megalo Meteorou, great icons, holy relics and rare manuscripts are kept, for which you will need several hours to see and admire them in person!

Accommodation in Meteora(Kalambaka-Kastraki)

The Meteora are one of the most important tourist destinations in Greece. Both the geological value and their unique landscape, the religious value and the number of Byzantine monasteries and relics of all kinds, as well as the climbing options they offer, make them a popular destination for people of all ages and tastes.

You can see the best accommodation offers for Kalambaka. In addition, look here, in the the wider area of Meteora , for even more hotels.