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The '''Metéora''' (Greek: Μετέωρα - —"suspended rocks", "suspended in the air" or "in the heavens above") is one of the largest and most important complex of monasteries in Greece, second only to [[Mount Athos]]. The monasteries are built on natural sandstone rock pinnacles, at the northwestern edge of the Plain of Thessaly near the Pinios river and Pindus Mountains, in central Greece. The Metéora is home now to six monasteries and is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
==History==
::[[Great Meteoron Monastery (Meteora)|Great Meteoron Monastery]] (or Transfiguration Monastery)
::[[Varlaam Monastery (Meteora)|Varlaam Monastery]]
::[[St Stephen Monastery (Meteora)|St Stephen Monastery]] (women’s women's monastery)
::[[Holy Trinity Monastery (Meteora)|Holy Trinity Monastery]]
::[[St Nicholas Anapafsas Monastery (Meteora)|St Nicholas Anapafsas Monastery]]
::[[Rousanou Roussanou Monastery (Meteora)|Rousanou Monastery]] (women’s women's monastery)
Of the six monasteries, four are inhabited by males, two by females. Each monastery has fewer than ten inhabitants. Due to the uniqueness of Meteora the valley attracts numerous tourists every year. The monasteries are now among the most popular tourist sites in the world and serve primarily as museums.
Access to the monasteries originally was extremely difficult, requiring either long ladders lashed together or large nets used to haul up both goods and humans. For [[pilgrim]]s to reach Varlaam monastery that dominates the valley a hoist was required to gain access vertically alongside a cliff that is 1,200 feet (373 meters) high. During the 1920s improvements were made in the arrangements for access to the monasteries. Steps were cut into the rock to some monasteries making the complex accessible as well as bridging from the nearby plateau.
== World Heritage Classification, UNESCO ==
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==External links==
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteora Wikipedia: Meteora]*[http://www.great-adventures.com/destinations/greece/meteora.html Clifftop Monasteries on Meteora, Greece]*[http://www.greecetravel.com/meteora/monasteries.html Meteora: Monasteries]*[http://www.meteorakalambaka.com/meteora.html Meteora Map]
[[Category: Monasteries]][[Category: Greek Monasteries]][[Category:Orthodox UNESCO World Heritage Sites]]
