Monastery of Saint Nicholas Anapafsas

Perched among the dramatic rock formations of Meteora near Kalambaka in Trikala, the Monastery of Saint Nicholas Anapafsas takes its name from words meaning "of comfort" or "of rest." Founded around 1400, it belongs to the remarkable monastic tradition that flourished in this singular landscape during the late medieval period, when the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries saw communities of monks settle atop these towering stone pillars. Today the monastery is preserved as an archaeological site, an important surviving example of Byzantine monastic life in one of Greece's most extraordinary settings.