Meteora, the Monasteries in the Air
On top of sheer rock towers in Greece sit monasteries that, until the 1920s, could only be reached in a net hauled up by rope. Legend says the founder was carried up by an eagle.
What was reported
Meteora, 'suspended in the air', is a cluster of huge sandstone pillars rising from the plain of Thessaly. From the 14th century, monks built monasteries on their summits, hundreds of metres up, safe from raiders. At the peak there were more than twenty.
Until the 1920s, visitors and supplies were hauled up in nets or baskets on ropes, or climbed long swaying ladders. Legend says the first monk, Saint Athanasios, was carried to the top of the Great Meteoron by an eagle.
Explanations offered
The pillars were formed from sediments laid down millions of years ago and carved by water and earthquakes. The monks probably climbed using wooden pegs driven into cracks. Six monasteries are still active, and Meteora is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- When
- Monasteries since the 14th century
- Where
- Meteora, Thessaly, Greece
- Witnesses
- Monks, pilgrims and travellers
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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