"Meaning ‘suspended in air’ the name Meteora includes the entire rock community of 24 monasteries. There were no steps and the main access to the monasteries was by means of a net that was hitched over a hook and hoisted up by rope and a hand cranked windlass to winch towers overhanging the chasm. Monks descended in the nets or on retractable wooden ladders up to 40m long to the fertile valleys below to grow grapes, corn and potatoes."From here.
Just for the record, I would enjoy living in a cliffside dwelling.
Originally found via TYWKIWDBI.
Yup.
ReplyDelete--Me too. :)
Absolutely beautiful. These pictures are wonderful. Reminds me of the Shadow and how he learned the art of clouding men's minds from monks in a place like one of these...
ReplyDeleteAh, the Shadow. Now that's a film I really like.
ReplyDeleteOne of my all-time favourite adventure modules is set in a monastery like that: Eyrie from The Feathered Priests, Set 3 of The Complete Dungeon Master Series (a British series of boxed adventure modules, full of maps and gorgeous handouts and floor plans, dual-statted for AD&D and RQ).
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments. Yeah I'm pretty sure now my megadungeon is going to have cliffside structures overlooking a big pit, not an old ruined city.
ReplyDeleteEndless possibilities.