Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1897-07-29
.HERMITS OF GREECE

HERMITS OF GREECE |
RELIGIOUS REcLUsES WHO LIVED IN
HOLES IN THE CLIFFS.
they Depended Wholly Upon Charity Tor |
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 plain
which is backed by the extraordinary
rocks Of Meteora, rising PROBATIONARY
to great height and commanding the
marked attention Of travellers. In places
the cliffs ascend like wall to height
of 2,000 feet. They are rough, Tree
from verdure and disagured by inno-
merable holes and caves all over their
face.
It ia these caves and remains Of monk
ish dwellings in them that give the
rocks Of Meteora the strange. almost
prehistoric appearance that has mads
them famous.
There are several inconsistencies st
Kalibaki. The largest Is 81 6tephen'e
Unlike the other monastsries. this Is
reached by drawbzid9e thrown 9czoss
a yawning ohasm. This ID one Of the
largest Of the monasberies Of MeSeosA
and has guest chamber especially MT
ted up for visitors-shat Ia TO say, there
are three iron beds In It, and tt Is ouly
courteous to surmise that the waddeo
coyerlet and single sheet that 80 10
make up Greek bed once were nsw.
The hegoumenos Il most hospitabla
He gives bis visitors excellent monastao
wine, dinner Of many weird COURSES
and is himself very good company A.
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 SS7.
The large church consists OF nave,
antechapel, with the body Of the church
under the dome, which = decorated
with the usual half length figure OF
Christ. Here are seen some OF the In
! laid ivory and mother Of pearl stools
| and leoturns 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 wal
these inconsistencies are used as places q
refuge. -
Not the least curious feature of these
UNIQUE rocks of Meteera are the holes
and caves which literally pepper the
face of the cliffs In places.
| In many cases these retreats OF thu
hermits Of st. Anthony are merely
cages. At distance they look. some o.
them, like big birdoages hung ~
against the face Of the Cliff. AS dwell
ings they are all exceedingly primitive,
The Thessalian hermit did not ash
much Of life. A rocky floor to lie on
, bars or ratings to keep him from fall
ing out Of his hole, shaky ladde
down which he might now and the1
: descend to earth and basket and str1nl
, | to let down for supplies were all b
needed in addition to his cTuci1x an
other religious necessities
II These aerial caves were occupied L
| | the fourteenth century. Thousands Q
> PERMITS, Judging from the remains
| | habitations, must at one time or anothe
| have sought refuge In these cliffs. Fey
q Of them can now be entered, for tn
ladders have for the most part falle
? away.
Seemingly the way hermit proceed
ed was to choose hole that took ri
t fancy. Up to this he ran ladder. ThaI
: driving poles into the rock before tt
8 cave, he built out q little platform
8 This he rooted in and surrounded wit
: a wall made Of sticks or dried gras
a From one platform to another thes
: anchorites ran up their ladders until tt
@ whole fcce of the rock was alive wit
i these hermits of St. Anthony.
! After the time honnYed fashion OF r
). Hpious recluses, the cliff dwelling he
Q mits Of St Anthony depended who'll
: on charity for their sustenanca- Far Q
Q in their airy caves they spent their da!
and nights in prayer and contemplated
9 When hungry or Thirsty, they = dow
d their baskets to the ground. aid WHIT
d these were filed they pulled them
n again.
nj The devout people Of Kalibaki b
h ljeved that these harmits were q speci
o charge upon them and kept them We
0 supplied with bzesd and wassA Eve
v morning men. women and oh1ldr'
8 could be seen tramping to the cliffs
ia fill the baskets that were let down by g
!. strings from above And so the harm'
were able to live their quiet, lazy liy
without q single worldly care.-Ne
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