The Meteora, Kalabaka, Greece (5 pics)
The Meteora are a rock formation in central Greece home to one of the largest and steepest complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries.
There were 24 monasteries built on huge natural pillars and rounded hill-shaped rocks that dominate the area, but only 6 remain today.
They chose this location to be safe from political upheaval and to have full control of the entrance to the monastery.
The only way to access the monasteries was to climb long ladder locked together, nest or basket, which were moved whenever the monks felt threatened.
Access to monasteries was made very difficult for a good reason.
At the end of the 14th century, the Byzantine Empire's reign over northern Greece was being increasingly threatened by Turkish raiders who wanted control over the fertile plain of Thessaly.
The monks, seeking to escape the Turkish occupation, found the inaccessible rock pillars of Meteora to be a perfect refuge.
Using this place required a significant leap of faith.
According to history, the ropes were only replaced "when the Lord let them break".
This techniques of conveying goods and people by baskets and ropes were use until the 17th century.
It is not known how many monks left their lives there.
In the 1920s there was an massive renovation.
Steps were cut into the rock, making the complex accessible via a bridge from the nearby plateau.
But some of the monasteries are still very hard to access today.
Photo taken with a Canon PowerShot A620.
Follow: @karma-panorama
Blog: http://karmapanorama.com