Meteory -"Klasztory Zawieszone w Niebie"

Meteora: Monasteries Hanging in the Sky

Summary: The group of monasteries known as Meteora, which lies on the Plain of Thessally in Central Greece,is one of the treasures of 14th-century Byzantine art. The first religious communities appeared here in the 10th century. They consisted of hermits, who lived in the caves and practised prayer and penance. After a certain length of time the individual hermits established communities and set up monasteries. The first of these was built towards the close of the 14th century by St. Athanasius, who also set down the principles and structures for the monastic community. Soon more and more monks were coming, and new monasteries were founded. In their heyday there were 24 of them here. Unfortunately later they declined and fell into ruin. Today there are eleven, of which six are open to pilgrims or tourists. These are the Holy Monasteries of the Metamorphosis (the Great Meteor), Varlaam, the Holy Trinity, St. Nicholas Reposing, St. Stephen's, and St. Rusan. Only about a dozen monks inhabit them now, and they lead a life of poverty working and praying. Even in the early 20th century access to the monasteries high up in the mountains was deliberately made difficult. In practice the monks were cut off from the rest of the world. They would haul necessaries up the mountain face using ropes and nets. Nowadays a set of stairways and corridors hewn out in the rock and an asphalt road lead up to the monasteries. Millions of tourists and pilgrims visit the place each year, and many come for spiritual reinforcement. Alongside the monasteries there is a museum which may be visited. It is situated in the refectory of the Great Meteor and its exhibits include numerous souvenirs and liturgical objects, such as boxes holding relics of the Saints, crowns, bishops' mitres, embroidered pictures, gold-embroidered vestments, chalices, frescoes, and icons.

Peregrinus Cracoviensis, 1996, z.4, s. 193-201.

Instytut Geografii i Gospodarki Przestrzennej UJ

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