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The Monastery of Great Meteoron (Greek: Μεγάλο Μετέωρο) is an Eastern Orthodox monastery that is part of the Meteora monastery complex in Thessaly, central Greece.[2] It is situated on top of a rock[3] called Meteora or Platylithos, which is 415 metres above the Pineios valley floor.[1]
| Monastery of Great Meteoron | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Eastern Orthodox |
| Location | |
| Location |  Greece |
| Geographic coordinates | 39°43′26″N 21°37′28″E |
| Elevation | 613 m (2,011 ft)[1] |
The monastery was founded by Athanasius the Meteorite in 1356,[4] sponsored by the local lord Simeon Uroš, based in nearby Trikala, who that same year proclaimed himself Emperor of Serbs and Greeks following the death of Stefan Dušan.[5]: 414 During the ensuing century the region fell under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, which lasted until the Convention of Constantinople (1881) by which Thessaly was taken over by the Kingdom of Greece.
Emilianos (Vafidis) was the abbot of the Monastery of Great Meteoron from 1961 to 1973, when he moved to Simonopetra and became the abbot there. His disciple Alexios, later known as Alexios of Xenophontos, then became the abbot of Great Meteoron from 1973 to 1976. In 1976, Alexios moved to Xenophontos Monastery.[6]
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The Great Meteoron has the largest manuscript collection in Meteora. Out of 1,124 codices that were catalogued by N. Veis at the six Meteora monasteries, 610 were recorded at the Great Meteoron.[7]
The Devil's Tower (39.7252573°N 21.6266490°E), a large towering rock, is located directly to the south of the monastery.[8] It is next to the ruins of a former monastery on Ypsilotera Rock (39.7248841°N 21.6273571°E).[9]
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