Great Meteoron Monastery
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Why go
- The rocky precipice rises more than 415 metres above the Pineios valley floor.
- The library holds Meteora’s largest manuscript collection, with 610 codices.
- The Chapel of Virgin Mary is located in a cave.
Opening hours
Today09:00 – 15:00Show all
Don't miss
- Cellar museumThe monastery cellar houses a museum of everyday objects.Near the entrance
- Rope-net towerThis tower once housed the mechanism for the monastery’s rope net.Near the entrance
Interesting facts3
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Imperial and royal donations helped the monastery flourish in the 16th century.
Meteora - Wikivoyage (see) -
Patriarch Jeremias I granted the monastery privileges and full independence by decree.
Μεγάλο Μετέωρο - Wikipedia -
60 million
The cliffs formed around 60 million years ago from sandstone and conglomerate shaped by river erosion.
Monastery of Great Meteoron - Wikipedia
Shorts
History
Great Meteoron began as a hermitage in the first half of the 14th century. Hermitages had appeared below Meteora’s cliffs in the 11th century. During 14th-century political upheavals, monks used the cliffs as a refuge. By the late 15th century, 24 monasteries stood in the area.
- 1356Athanasius the Meteorite founded Great Meteoron with sponsorship from Simeon Uroš.
- 1387/88Athanasius’s student, John Uroš Palaiologos, built a new church on the site of the earlier one.
- 1544/5The new main church, dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Saviour, was built.
- 1572A home for elderly monks was built.
- 1789A single-room chapel dedicated to Saints Constantine and Helen was built to the southwest.
Show all
- 1806New monks’ cells were built.
- 1961–1973Abbot Emilianos contributed to a spiritual renewal at Meteora.
- 1988Meteora was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List; Great Meteoron is one of its six monasteries.
How to get there
- On footThe final approach follows a staircase cut into the rock.
Accessibility
- Step-free entry The entrance cannot be reached without using stairs.
Sources: Monastery of Great Meteoron - Wikipedia · Meteora - Wikivoyage (see) · Μεγάλο Μετέωρο - Wikipedia · Grand Météore - Wikipedia · checked 27 Sep 2026
- Website
- meteoromonastery.gr/
- Phone
- +30 2432 022278
Questions and answers
Is Great Meteoron Monastery still active?
Yes. It is a male monastery and one of Meteora’s six active monasteries.
What was the hestia at Great Meteoron Monastery?
The hestia was the monastery’s domed kitchen, near the refectory.
Where is the founder’s hermitage at Great Meteoron Monastery?
It occupies a small structure carved into the rock.
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