15 Amazing Monasteries, Sanctuaries and Abbies

"Meteora and The Stone Forest"
(images via: Greek Landscapes and WebUrbanist: Cliff & Mountain Houses)

Meteora means “suspended in air” in Greek, and that’s an apt description for these centuries-old monasteries. Perched atop 1200-ft tall crags of Thessaly’s “Stone Forest”, as many as 24 separate monasteries thrived during the area’s heyday in the 14th century. Today only a half-dozen are still active. Today tourists - not rampaging Ottoman warriors - are the main visitors to this stunning setting in northern Greece. LINK