Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-08-09
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HERMITS OF GREECE.
RELIGIOUS REcLusEs WHO LIVED IN
 HOLES IN THE CLIFFS.

HOLES IN THE CLIFFS.
 They Depended Wholly Upon Charity Fer
 Their sustenance and Remained Always
 In Their Aerial Caves-The Monastery
 of st. Stephens.
 One of the most curious scenes OH the Thessalian frontier is to be found at Kalibalxi, some 50 miles by rail above Trikhala. The town lies on plain which is backed by the extraordinary rocks of Meteora, rising preeipitously 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, 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.
 There are several monasteries at Kalibaki. The largest is St. Stephens.
 Unlike the other monasteries, this is reached by drawbridge thrown across 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 ooverlet and single sheet that go to make up Greek bed once were new.
 The hegoumenos is most hospitable He gives his visitors excellent monastie wine, a dinner of many weird courses and is himself very good company. As usual, there arc two churches in this monastery, the smaller of tho two pos- sessing some very fair ikons set in beautifully carved frames, and one very old picture, dated 3S7.
 The large church consists of nave, anteehapel, 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 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 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 i'll places.
 In many cases these retreats of the hermits of St. Anthony are merely cages. At distance they look, some of them, like big birdcages 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 railings 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 crueifix and other religious necessities.
 These aerial caves were occupied ill the fourteenth century. Thousands of ISlluitSt JuOEinS HUH OllO lClteilLo O1 habitations, must at one time or another have sought refuge in these cliffs. Few of them can now be entered, for the ladders have fer tie most part fallen away.
 Seemingly the way hermit proceed ed was to choose hole that took his fancy. Up to this he ran a ladder. Then, driving poles into the rock before the cave, he built out little platform. This he roofed in and surrounded with q 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 reeluses. the cliff dwelling her mits of St. Anthony depended wholly on charity for their sustenanee. Far up in their airy caves they spent their days and nights ill prayer and contemplation. When hungry or thirsty, they let down their baskets to the ground, and when these were filled they pulled them up again.
 The devout people of Kalibaki be- Iieved 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 shermits were able to live their quiet, lazy lives without single worldly care. New | York World