Meteora

The rock pillars were shaped over millions of years: sediment laid down at the edge of an ancient lake hardened into sandstone and conglomerate, was lifted and fractured, and was then worn into towers by water, wind and frost. Hermits began living in caves and clefts in these rocks from around the 11th century, and by the late 12th century a small church had been built at the foot of one of the peaks.

In the 14th century, political instability in Thessaly drove monks to build systematically on the summits, where they were safe from raids. Great Meteoron was founded around 1340, and by the end of the 15th century there were 24 monasteries. Access was by ladders, nets and baskets hauled up on ropes; steps were only cut into the rock in the 1920s.

The 16th century was a golden age of building and painting. Theophanes the Cretan decorated the church of St Nicholas Anapafsas in 1527, work that is central to post-Byzantine art. The community declined after the 17th century, but six monasteries survive and remain active, and UNESCO inscribed Meteora on the World Heritage List in 1988.

Meteora is first and foremost a living religious centre, the most important monastic community in Greece after Mount Athos. Monks and nuns keep to a daily cycle of services, and major feasts such as Easter draw pilgrims from across the Orthodox world. The towns below, Kalambaka and Kastraki, live from both agriculture and visitors, and many families have hosted pilgrims and travellers for generations.