Course Content (Syllabus)
Meteora as a Cultural and Natural Heritage Site (UNESCO) is a geotope of global importance for research. The course of pilgrimage to the monasteries of Meteora offers historical and theological knowledge about their foundation, architecture, and artistic wealth, such as wall paintings, icons, relics, wood carvings and handicrafts, manuscripts, fabrics, libraries, etc. Important are the valuable tributes, gifts of lords, kings, but also ordinary people, as an expression of common faith of the pilgrims. The Meteorite monasteries hosted saints and monks, whose spiritual life, like their sacred relics, attracted travelers. Of particular interest is the uninterrupted spiritual relationship of the Agiometeorite community with Mount Athos. The aim of the course is to understand the religious - spiritual heritage of the mysterious area of Meteora as a sacred pilgrimage, in its long historical course, and the special culture that derives from it.
The content of the course is structured in the following 13 teaching units:
1. Religious tourism and pilgrimage tours in Meteora. The policies for the promotion of tourism in the region and the contribution of Meteora to the development of the region. Relations between the city and the sanctuary.
2. Geography and Culture. The phenomenon of geomorphology of the rocks of Meteora. Topography of Meteora. The hermitages and the ruined monasteries.
3. Historical diagram of the Stagi. The timeless testimony of Meteora. Spirituality. The worship and deaconry life of the monks.
4. Saint Athanasios the Meteorite. The saints of Meteora. Meteora as a center of honor for local saints of Thessaly.
5. Spiritual relations of Mount Athos and Meteora.
6. Greek and foreign travelers to Meteora. Meteora in literature.
7. The Great Meteoron (Transfiguration of the Savior). Geographical designation. Historical diagram. Architecture - Monastic typology. Feast days. Holy relics. Wall paintings, icons, wood carvings and handicrafts, manuscripts, fabrics. Tourist - Pilgrimage designation.
8. The Monastery of Barlaam. Geographical designation. Historical diagram. Architecture - Monastic typology. Feast days. Holy relics. Wall paintings, icons, wood carvings and handicrafts, manuscripts, fabrics. Tourist - Pilgrimage designation.
9. The Monastery of Agios Stefanos. Geographical designation. Historical diagram. Architecture - Monastic typology. Feast days. Holy relics. Wall paintings, icons, wood carvings and handicrafts, manuscripts, fabrics. Tourist - Pilgrimage designation.
10. The Monastery of Rousanou. Geographical designation. Historical diagram. Architecture - Monastic typology. Feast days. Holy relics. Wall paintings, icons, wood carvings and handicrafts, manuscripts, fabrics. Tourist - Pilgrimage designation.
11. The Monastery of Agios Nikolaos Anapafsas. Geographical designation. Historical diagram. Architecture - Monastic typology. Feast days. Holy relics. Wall paintings, icons, wood carvings and handicrafts, manuscripts, fabrics. Tourist - Pilgrimage designation.
12. The Monastery of the Holy Trinity. Geographical designation. Historical diagram. Architecture - Monastic typology. Feast days. Holy relics. Wall paintings, icons, wood carvings and handicrafts, manuscripts, fabrics. Tourist - Pilgrimage designation.
13. Recent history of Meteora. The multimodal dimension of religious tourism in Meteora. Religious, cultural, economic significance. Examples of interactive links, movies, documentaries, etc., with historical, cultural, and religious content about Meteora.
As part of the course, a lecture will be held by a monk of Meteora to the students.
Additional bibliography for study
1. Αγορίτσας Δ., Μετέωρα: Από τη Σκήτη των Σταγών στον οργανωμένο κοινοβιακό βίο. Παράδοση και εξέλιξη, Βυζαντινά 36 (2018), 33-66.
2. Αναγνωστόπουλος Α., Οι τοιχογραφίες του καθολικού της μονής Ρουσάνου Μετεώρων, Αθήνα 2010.
3. Αναγνωστόπουλος Α. - Ανδρούδης Π., Η βυζαντινή καθέδρα των Σταγών, Θεσσαλονίκη 2017.
4. Βαφειάδης Κ., Η μονή του Αγίου και Μεγάλου Μετεώρου, Άγια Μετέωρα 2019.
5. Διονύσιος μητροπ. Τρίκκης και Σταγών, Προσκυνητάριο μοναστηρίου Βαρλαάμ Μετεώρων, Αθήνα 1961.
6. Μανόπουλος Γρηγόριος π., Για τους ζωγράφους του καθολικού της μονής Αγίας Τριάδος των Μετεώρων, Τρίκαλα 2017.
7. Στεργιούλης Χ., Οι Άγιοι της Θεσσαλίας. Αγιολογικά και λειτουργικά χειρόγραφα και κείμενα, Θεσσαλονίκη 2017.
8. Σοφιανός Δ., «Μετέωρα», στο: Ο θησαυρός της Ορθοδοξίας. 2000 χρόνια, Ιστορία - Μνημεία - Τέχνη, Αθήνα 2000, 318-337.
9. Σοφιανός Δ. - Τσιγαρίδας Ε., Ιερά Μονή Αγίου Νικολάου Αναπαυσά. Ιστορία -Τέχνη, Τρίκαλα 2003.
10. Cataldi Palau Annaclara, «Greek Manuscripts from the Meteora Monasteries in the Burdett-Coutts Collection», in: Chrysograph 3 (2009), 144-178.
11. Lyratzaki Irini, «Meteora. World Heritage Site. Thessaly. Greece», Protected Areas and Spirituality. Proceedings of the First Workshop of The Delos Initiative, Barcelona 2007, 251-262.
12. Vitaliotis Ioannis, Le vieux catholicon du monastère Saint-Etienne aux Météores, la première phase des peintures murales, Paris 1998.