Meteora, Thessaly, Greece

Meteora

Meteora is a cluster of huge dark cliffs of sandstone which are rising out of Kalambaka, near the first hills of Pindos and Hasion. The monasteries of Meteora, which are built on the top of some of the rocks, are currently the second most important group of monasteries in Greece after Mount Athos.
The six visited monasteries of Meteora, are now restored and most of their mural decoration is preserved.
 

The monastery of Agios Stefanos

The monastery of Rossanos

Meteora

The creation of this geological landscape, although it has occasionally been a benchmark for many Greek and foreign geologists, it's not yet clearly understood. The lofty, cut off between them, rocks, whose height reaches sometimes 400 meters, is a unique geological phenomenon, covering an area of ​​about thirty kilometers.

Transportation between the rocks

Meteora attracts a lot of extreme sports fans

In 1989 Unesco inscribed Meteora in the list of UNESCO World Heritage, as a particularly important cultural and natural resource.

Falling stars in Meteora

Meteora during winter

The breathtaking view of Meteora

Mount Athos, Ηalkidiki, Greece

Simonopetra Monastery

Mount Athos is a self-governed part of the Greek state, located on the Athos peninsula of Halkidiki in Macedonia. The Athos peninsula is the easternmost and rougher of the three individual parallel peninsulas that form up the peninsula of Halkidiki. There is situated the mount Athos, hence it's name.  

Athos Peninsula

Includes twenty Holy Monasteries and other monastic institutions and is informally characterized as "Autonomous Monastic State." It is the center of Orthodox Christian monasticism with great monuments of historical, religious, secretarial and cultural value, on a global scale.

Monastery of Vatopedi

 
Monasticism on Mount Athos began around the 8th century and since then it's the most important monastic center of the world.

Although it's administrated under the supervision of the Greek State, spiritually is under the supreme authority of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Across the whole region of Athos the "avato" is applied. This means that no female is allowed to enter in this territory. This restriction has it's spiritual base in the chastity of the monks. Nevertheless, the monasteries accept male visitors of any religious beliefs.

Monk in Simonopetra Monastery

 Since 1988 Mount Athos is part of the World Heritage Sites list.

Koutloumousiou monastery