The old kitchen
Blackened flues and copper vessels left as they were.
Janmad โ CC BY-SA 2.0 ยท Alexxx1979 โ CC BY-SA 4.0 ยท Alexxx1979 โ CC BY-SA 4.0 ยท Alexxx1979 โ CC BY-SA 4.0
**The largest, oldest and highest of the Meteora monasteries** โ on a summit of about **613 m**, and also known as the Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Saviour. It was founded in the 14th century by **Athanasios the Meteorite**, the first man to climb this rock and settle on it, and the one who gave it the name "meteoro". It was enlarged after him by **Ioasaph**, who before taking vows was a Serbian prince of a ruling house โ he gave up his throne and came up here. It is the only one that feels like a **full complex** rather than a small monastery: a domed main church with 16th-century frescoes, an **old kitchen** with its blackened flues and copper vessels, a huge **monks' refectory** turned into a museum, and the **rope house**, where the original net and windlass people were hauled up in are displayed. โ There is also an **ossuary**, where the skulls of dead monks are ranged on shelves โ an old Orthodox practice, but be ready for it. โ And the climb is about **300 steps**, the hardest of the six monasteries.
Blackened flues and copper vessels left as they were.
The original net and windlass the monks were hauled up in.
A dome and 16th-century frescoes with their colour preserved.
Meteora, 42200 Kalabaka, Trikala, Greece
**Yes, relatively hard โ and within this monastery there is no alternative.** The sequence is: first a short flight down from the car park over a bridge, then **about 300 stone steps** cut into the rock, some steep and uneven, with stretches in full sun. For a regular walker: ten to fifteen minutes with pauses. โ For anyone with **a knee, heart or breathing problem**, or carrying **a small child** on a hot day, this is not the place. **The right alternative is St Stephen's** โ entered over a **level bridge with almost no steps**, the best choice for anyone who needs it, with a church, a small museum and an excellent view over Kalambaka. And for everyone: **water, the handrail and closed shoes**, and climb in the morning rather than at midday.
**An old Orthodox monastic practice, not a spectacle.** In many Orthodox monasteries โ and on Mount Athos especially โ a monk is buried at death, and **his bones are exhumed years later**, washed, and the skull placed in a dedicated building alongside those of his predecessors, often inscribed with his name and date. The reason is both practical and spiritual: **space on a rock summit is extremely limited** and cannot support an expanding cemetery, and the spiritual idea is that a monk confronts his own mortality daily and does not forget it. โ **As a visitor**: this is a place for respect rather than curiosity โ no photography, no raised voices, and anyone who would rather not see it simply walks on to the next room. With children, **explain before you go in** or skip it; it is the surprise that upsets, not the sight.
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