The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1897-09-21
HERMITS OF GREECE.
RELIGIOUS REcLUSES WHO LIVED IN
HOLES IN THE CLIFFS.

RELIGIOUS RECLUSES WHO LIVED IN
HOLES IN THE CLIFFS.
They Depended Wholly Upon Charity For
Their Sustenance and Remained Always
In Their Aerial Caves-The Monastery
of st. Stephens.
One of the most curious scenes on the
Thessalian frontier is to be found at
Kalibaki, some 30 miles by rail above
Trikhala The town lies on a plain
which is backed by the extraordinary
rocks of Meteora, rising preoipitously
to great height and commanding the
marked attention of travellers. In places
the cliffs ascend like wall to height
of $4,000 feet. They are rough, free
from verdure and disfgured by innu-
merable holes and caves all over their
face
1t is these caves and remains of monk
ish dwellings in them that give the
rocks of Meteora the strange, almost
prehistoric appearance that has made
them famous.
4utI0 arc SGNCId1 AlOudEUCE1cS dO
Kalibaki. The largest is St. Stephens.
Unlike the other inconsistencies, this Is
reached by a drawbridge thrown across
a yawning chasm. This is one of the
largest of the monasteries of Meteora
and has guest chamber especially fit
ted up for visitors-that is to say, there
are three iron beds in it, and it is only
courteous to surmise that the wadded
coverlet and single sheet that go to
make up Greek bed once were new.
The hegoumenos is most hospitable.
He gives his visitors excellent monastic
wine, a dinner of many weird courses
and is himself very good company. AS
usual, there are two churches in this
monastery, the smaller of the two pos
sessing some very fair ikons set in
beautifully carved frames, and one very
old picture, dated 387
The large church consists of nave,
antechapel, with the body of the church
under the dome, which is decorated
with the usual half length figure of
Christ. Here are seen some of the in
laid ivory and mother of pearl stools
Snd lecturns which at one time were the
staple work of the Meteora monks
All the manuscripts of any value have
been removed to Athens A long build
ing at the right of the bridge contains
the cells of the monks, which open into
dark covered corridor In time of war
these monasteries are used as places of
refuge.
Not the least curious feature of these
unique rocks of Meteora are the holes
and caves which literally pepper the
face of the cliffs in places
In many cases these retreats of the
hermits Of St. Anthony are merely
cages. At distance they look, some Of
them, like big birdoages hung up
against the face of the cliff As dwell
ings they are all exceedingly primitive.
The Thessalian hermit did not ask
much of life A rocky floor to lie on,
bars or ratings to keep him from fall
ing out of his hole. shaly ladder
down which he might now and then
descend to earth and basket and string
to let down for supplies were all he
needed in addition to his crucifix and
other religious necessities.
These aerial caves were occupied in
the fourteenth century Thousands of
hermits, judging from the remains of
habitations, must at one time or another
have sought refuge in these cliffs Few
of them can now be entered, for the
ladders have for the most part fallen
away.
Seemingly the way hermit proceed
ed was to choose a hole that took his
fancy. Up to this he ran ladder. Then,
driving poles into the rock before the
cave, he built out little platform.
This he rooted in and surrounded with
wall made of sticks or dried grass.
From one platform to another these
anchorites ran up their ladders until the
whole face Of the rock was alive with
these hermits of st. Anthony.
After the time honored fashion of re-
ligious recluses, the cliff dwelling her
mits Of st. Anthony depended wholly
on charity for their sustenance. Far up
in their airy caves they spent their days
and nights in prayer and contemplation.
When hungry or thirsty, they let down
their baskets to the ground, and when
these were filed they pulled them up
again.
The devout people Of Kalibaki be-
lieved that these hermits were special
charge upon them and kept them well
supplied with bread and water Every
morning men, women and children
could be seen tramping to the cliffs to
fill the baskets that were let down by the
strings from above. And so the hermits
were able to live their quiet, lazy lives
without single worldly care. New
York World.