Meteora - attracted to the caves, solo monks, Golden Age 26 monasteries, now there is 6; 1926 is when the gov came in and helped them restore but as a result they had to allow visitors, began carving steps
Monasticism - Antony from Egypt started it who was disturbed by the fact church was becoming secular; “sell all that you have & follow me” ; left everything to dedicate life to God; first years claimed that this was anti-biblical; others joined him and he started 1. Chastity, 2. ? 3. absolute obedience to superior ; too many people and went deeper into desert “hermit” ; in the next gen steered monks in a different direction- live alone but do ministry “coinboi” at certain points you come together to do community and help/serve. One of the mentalities was to be ascetic - hard and frugal. Spirit is superior to the body. the more ou emancipate the body, the more spiritual you become. Punishes the body, ,some even inflict pain on their body. Their performance, to this day, is based on their personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Martin Luther decides monks are not biblical and drops it. Now, occasionally, you’ll find someone with a Christ centric perspective. Everyone from illiterate runaways to professors to former CIA.
Monastery - loaded with icons; in beginning , believers collected pictures of the saints (like family pics of those who’ve passed away); the longer its gone on, became just like pagans creating idols and venerating the saints; starting regarding relics and icons as prosperity, protection, fertility - pieces of wood under skin, scratching paint and creating potions. Islam started at this time & used this to say Christian’s were pagans, look at them worshipping the saints.
Very amazing to see. Absolutely breathtaking scenery. How can a person not worship a big God at the sight of this!?