In a region of almost inaccessible sandstone peaks, monks settled on these 'columns of the sky' from the 11th century onwards. Twenty-four of these monasteries were built, despite incredible difficulties, at the time of the great revival of the eremetic ideal in the 15th century. Their 16th-century frescoes mark a key stage in the development of post-Byzantine painting. The nearest town is Kalambaka. Metéora is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The most important monasteries of Meteora are:
- The Holy Monastery of Great Meteoron. It is the biggest of the Meteora monasteries. The church 'Katholikon', honouring the 'Transfiguration' of Jesus, was erected in the middle of 14th century and decorated from 1483 to1552. The old monastery is used as a museum, nowadays.
- The Holy Monastery of Varlaam is the second biggest in size monastery. The church, honours the three Bishops. It was built in 1541 and decorated in 1548. The old refectory is used as a museum while North of the Church we can see the parekklesion of the Three (Bishops) built in 1627 and decorated in 1637.
- The Holy Monastery of St. Stephen is one of the most attainable one as we don't have to cope with innumerable stairs to reach it. The small single-nave church of St. Stephen was built in the middle of 16th and decorated in 1545.
The entrance to the monasteries is requiring appropriate clothing with long trousers and skirts.