Varlaam Monastery, Meteora 
Varlaam Monastery from the Great Meteoron. Photo
Neil Carey.
Winding stairway up to Varlaam Monastery. Photo
travelinknu.
Another view of Varlaam from Great Meteoron. Photo
syslog.Varlaam Monastery, one of the monasteries of the Meteora, is named for the monk who first built a tiny chapel on this rocky promontory in the 14th century.
In the 16th century, two brothers from the monastery at Ioannina enlarged the chapel and founded the monastery. According to legend, they had to drive away the monster who lived in a cave on the summit before they could move in.
Today, Varlaam Monastery can be accessed by a narrow bridge that runs from the main road on the Meteora. Varlaam Monastery's most pleasant features are the garden and the monk who sometimes sits there and chats with visitors. The old refectory is now a museum.
Varlaam contains frescoes by the well-known iconographer Frangos Katelanos and houses a collection of relics, carved wooden crosses, icons, embroidered epitaphoi and many other eccelesiastical treasures.
North of the church is the "Parekklesion of the Three" (dedicated to the Three Bishops: St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian, and St. John Chrysostom), which was built in 1627 and decorated in 1637.
| Location: | The Meteora, Thessaly, Greece |
| Phone: | 24320/22-277 |
| Hours: | Wed-Mon 9am-1pm and 3:30-6pm |
| Cost: | 2€ |
Travel Resources
- Overnight Tour to Meteora (from Athens)
- 3-Day Tour to Delphi and Meteora (from Athens)
- 4-Day Classical Greece Tours (from Athens)
- 7-Day Grand Tour of Greece (from Athens)
If you want to hire a private guide, speak to the concierge at your hotel, or contact the Association of Official Guides in Athens (tel. 210/322-9705). Expect to pay from 100€ for a 5-hour tour.
The busiest tourist season at Meteora is between May and September. The mountain range to the east and north of Meteora experiences baking heat in summer and severe cold in winter with heavy snowfalls. Summer is the driest time. Storms occur year round, especially at higher altitudes.
Most visitors to Meteora stay in Kalambaka or Kastraki, the two closest villages to Meteora.
More Information
- Meteora – UNESCO World Heritage
- Meteora Map - MeteoraKalambaka.com
- The Wonder That is Meteora - Meteora-Greece.info
- Meteora: Monasteries – Greece Travel
- Clifftop Monasteries of Meteora, Greece – Adventures Great and Small
- Meteora: Greece's Spiritual Pinnacles - Travel with a Challenge
- Land in the Clouds: Greece's Meteora Monasteries - Go World Travel
