GREAT METEORA MONASTERY
METEORA, CENTRAL GREECE
Image Number 400
The Metéora, literally "middle of the sky", is one of the largest and most important complexes of Orthodox monasteries in Greece, second only to Mount Athos. The six monasteries are built on natural sandstone rock pillars in central Greece. The Metéora is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In the 9th century AD, an ascetic group of hermit monks moved up to the ancient pinnacles. They lived in hollows and fissures in the rock towers, some as high as 1800 ft (550m) above the plain. The hermit monks, seeking a retreat from the expanding Turkish occupation, found the inaccessible rock pillars of Meteora to be an ideal refuge. More than 20 monasteries were built, beginning in the 14th century. Until the 17th century, the primary means of conveying goods and people from these eyries was by means of baskets and ropes. Six monasteries remain today. Each monastery has fewer than 10 inhabitants.
TECHNICAL NOTES
The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of 4 seconds and aperture F16. 45mm Phase One lens with focal plane shutter. The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.