Step Into a Higher Spiritual Experience In Meteora

I was standing at the base of The Holy Monastery of Varlaam, the second largest in Meteora. Built atop a pillar of  sandstone towering 1,224 feet (373 meters) into the sky, Meteora takes its name from a Greek word that translates into “suspended in the air.”

I had never seen a building quite like Varlaam in my life and I couldn’t yank my eyes off it. Famous for its rustic landscape and monasteries, Meteora is a UNESCO World Heritage site in Greece that is located between the town of Kalabaka and the village of Kastraki. I had promised my wife, Brenda, a pilgrimage during our vacation and after months of planning we were finally poised to embark on a magnificent — if not highly strenuous — climb to a building that was sitting on top of a giant rock pillar.

While overshadowed by the Acropolis in Athens, Meteora is home to one of the greatest collections of historic buildings on earth and should not be underestimated. Built by Orthodox Christian hermit— some might say nutty — monks who wanted to live in complete isolation, the Meteora monasteries are among the nation’s greatest treasures and revered holy sites. Out of the thirty monasteries that were founded throughout the centuries, only six are active today: Varlaam, Great Meteoron, Saint Nicholas (Agios Nikolaos Anapafsas), Rousanou, Holy Trinity, and Saint Stephen (Agios Stefanos).

When I finally turned away from Varlaam following several seconds of silence to face my wife I realized immediately that I was in hot water. Standing straight with her eyes slanted and hands firmly on her hips — the universal posture of the unimpressed wife — I could see she was staring at Varlaam, too. But hers was a look of exasperation and disbelief.

“Pilgrimage, I can live with,” she said in that firm, deliberate, monotone voice that every cornered husband knows only too well. “But honey, those are a lot of steps.”

I could understand her apprehension. The number of steps of the Meteora monasteries varies from building to building but whichever you choose to tackle will give you a solid cardiovascular workout. The Monastery of the Holy Trinity and Great Meteoron have over 300 steps each, while Rousanou and Saint Nicolas have an average of 140.  Varlaam weighs in at a respectful 195 steps carved in solid rock. Manageable? Yes, in pristine conditions but Brenda and I would be making our climb during a heat wave — a troublesome factor that I hadn’t considered during my immaculate trip-planning operation.

“No such thing as an easy pilgrimage,” I replied nonchalantly, deliberately showcasing my inner-Indiana Jones to put her at ease. Still in all honesty I was having a difficult time convincing myself that I had the legs to climb into those dizzying heights.

A Spiritual Step by Step Climb Into a Blue Sky

It was during a conversation with a good friend of mine of Greek heritage in my home city of Toronto that I first learned about the wonders of Meteora.

He described having a beautiful experience during his visit. A dog had grown attached to him and strolled ahead, occasionally looking over his shoulder to make sure that he was following. Leading him as if God himself had decided he should have a personal prophetic pooch, my friend was lucky enough to speak to a holy person and receive a blessing. Funny enough after he received his blessing, my friend noticed that the dog had vanished.

After hearing that story I knew I had to make Meteora a part of my trip, which was made possible when my wife and I decided to sandwich it into our itinerary between Thessaloniki and Athens. She was a good sport and chose to go along with me but I could sense her disappointment. Greece is famous for islands with sandy beaches and shining blue waters — Corfu, Mykonos, Santorini and Milos, to name a few. Why pass on one of those sparkling islands for a destination that clearly didn’t offer either?

It’s true, you won’t find any beach umbrellas or sand castles but Meteora more than makes up for such shortcomings with rustic scenery and history. It’s also one of the holiest places on earth. Sadly I didn’t get my own spiritual guide dog but the steps showed up in full force — and lots of them. As we climbed we stopped occasionally along the way to express gratitude, encourage each other, take in the views and catch our breath while sweat poured down my brow, burned into my eyes and soaked my clothes.

Brenda and I willed each other up those steps along with other “pilgrims” from every corner of the world. At least one woman I saw was clearly in her late eighties making the climb for the first time, or perhaps the first time in a long time. Even though we didn’t speak the same language, I pumped my fist at her as she rested. She smiled at me and pumped her fist right back.

There is beauty in isolation

We paid our 3 euro (approximately $3.15 USD) fee and went inside to look around. There was a beautiful gazebo where several people stopped to take advantage of the shade and snap pictures of the town below.

One interesting artifact was the pulley system that was used by the first monks to bring up people and provisions. There was also a 16th-century oak wine barrel used for water storage over the previous centuries. Despite the fact that the building is situated high in the clouds, there is running water and fully functioning bathrooms.

As strange as it may sound one thing I noticed at Varlaam was a strong sense of isolation, especially when I saw the pulley and the barrel. I found this unsettling since there were hundreds of people visiting at the same time that my wife and I were. I think it’s probably strange for anyone living through the Internet age to walk in the footsteps of monks without wondering how they managed to willingly exist in the world with little contact from the outside.

I loved seeing the beautiful frescoes — a mural painting technique that involves applying water-based paint directly onto wet lime plaster —in the monastery’s chapel of All Saints that belonged to the famous hagiographer of the 16th century, Franco Catalano. According to Greeka.Com, the monastery was decorated in 1548 by Frangos Kastellanos, an important Byzantine iconographer, who painted frescoes in the church of Agioi Pantes. Varlaam also has a museum featuring several Renaissance period pieces and precious holy vestments of the priests from the Byzantine period and a gift shop to purchase souvenirs.

After the initial excitement of being on top of the pillar, it was nice to sit back and be grateful. Thessaloniki has the food and nightlife, and Athens will always be known for the Acropolis. But Meteora is all about prayer, peace, quiet reflection and stony steps that never seem to end. And that was fine with me.

Time for the Great Finale

The next day Brenda and I were able to visit The Holy Monastery of Great Meteoron, the biggest and oldest one of all the monasteries in Meteora.

According to Meteora.com, above Holy Monastery are the chapels of the Mother of God (Virgin Mary of the Meteorite Stone), of Holy Baptist, of Saint Equal Apostles Constantine and Helen and of Saint Nektarios (more modern). The most important buildings are the center (kitchen), the old age home, the “trapeza”(dining hall) and others. Great Meteoron monastery serves as the main museum for visitors to Meteora and remains a true bastion of orthodox monasticism.

It was a more difficult climb than Varlaam but it seemed easier since there were no surprises and we knew what to expect. Brenda and I had eaten a large breakfast and inhaled what seemed like a half-gallon of water before starting our trek. Following what felt like a six-hour sojourn, we summited “Mount Meteoron” and hugged each other.

“We did it, we did it,” whispered Brenda, who I’m happy to report no longer sported the “universal posture of the unimpressed wife.”

“Yes, we sure did,” I gasped back.

Before leaving my wife and I lit candles for friends and wrote out prayers for our relatives. We took even more time to contemplate the site, sitting on a bench in the warm air and viewing the surroundings and watching other people wander around us.  We remained for a long time, enjoying each other and the taking in Meteoron’s relaxing vibe, in no hurry at all to make the easy climb back down to our waiting vehicle and the outside world with its Internet, traffic, fast food, and all the horrible stories waiting on the evening news.

As I lingered, I savoured the sense of isolation. Only this time I didn’t find the feeling unsettling. I felt peaceful, euphoric, grateful and free.

Who knows? Perhaps those nutty Orthodox Christian hermit monks who built these remarkable monasteries on towering pillars of sandstone were onto something.

MORE ABOUT METEORA

Getting There: We rented a car in Thessaloniki and drove to Meteora. After our visit we left our vehicle in Athens and continued our trip. Not a cheap way to go but a wonderful way to see Greece’s spectacular countryside. For the most cost-effective options, consider taking a train or bus from Athens or Thessaloniki. The trip will take around six hours.

Prices: Every monastery has a 3 euro admission fee per person ($3.15 USD), while children under 12 years old are exempt from entrance fees. Be warned that women who are lightly dressed may be asked to wear shawls to cover their skin. The shawls are handed out for use at the monastery.

Visiting Hours: The visiting hours and days vary across the six monasteries. From the start of April to the end of October, the times are as follows: Great Meteoron is open from 9am to 3pm and is closed on Tuesdays; Varlaam is open from 9am to 4pm and is closed on Fridays; Rousanou is open from 9am to 4.30pm and is closed on Wednesdays; St. Nicholas Anapafsas is open from 9am to 5pm and is open every day; St. Stephen is open from 9am to 1.30pm and 3.30pm to 5.30pm and is closed on Mondays; and Holy Trinity is open from 10am to 4pm and is closed on Thursdays.

Take a Tour: visitmeteora.travel/top-rated-meteora-tours

Take a Sunset Tours: visitmeteora.travel/tour/meteora-sunset-tour

THE MONASTERIES

Holy Monastery of Great Meteoron (Built around 1340): The Great Meteoron, also known as the Holy Monastery of the Metamorfossis (Transfiguration of Christ), is a male monastery and is the oldest and largest of all the monasteries of Meteora. It is built on the greatest rock of the complex, the Platys Lithos or Playtlithos.

Holy Monastery of Varlaam (Built around 1350): The Varlaam Monastery is named after the first monk who built the first church on the rock. This was in 1350 and Varlaan built three churches, a room for himself and a water tank.

Holy Monastery of Rousanou (Built in 1545): The Rousanou Monastery was built by Maximos and Ioasaph of Ioannina, it is unclear who the actual monastery is named after, but it is dedicated to St. Barbara. Like other monasteries at Meteora the Roussanou monastery was looted during the Second World War.

Holy Monastery of St. Nicholas Anapafsas (Built in1527): Like Rousanou, nobody is quite sure who the monastery is named after but it is most famous for its frescoes by the famous Cretan artist Theophanes Strelitzas.

Holy Monastery of St. Stephen (Built in 1400): The 14th century St. Stephen monastery is the closest monastery in Meteora to the main town of Kalabaka, and so the easiest to visit. St. Stephen monastery was founded by St. Antoninus Cantacuzene, who is thought to be a son of the Serb ruler Nicephorus II of Epirus.

Holy Monastery of Holy Trinity (Built in 1362): Out of all the monasteries of Meteora Holy Trinity has the most dramatic location, the rock face is a sheer drop and the rock itself is a lot more slender. The monastery was built in 1458 and had many treasures, but most of these were looted by the Germans during the Second World War,

Fun Fact: You may recognize the monastery of the Holy Trinity from the James Bond movie, “For Your Eyes Only“, which helped mark the monasteries as one of the most recognizable landmarks in Greece.