Meteora in the context of "Cave-church"

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designates World Heritage Sites of outstanding universal value to cultural or natural heritage which have been nominated by countries which are signatories to the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972. Cultural heritage consists of monuments (such as architectural works, monumental sculptures, or inscriptions), groups of buildings, and sites (including archaeological sites). Natural features (consisting of physical and biological formations), geological and physiographical formations (including habitats of threatened species of animals and plants), and natural sites which are important from the point of view of science, conservation or natural beauty, are defined as natural heritage. Greece ratified the convention on 17 July 1981, making its natural and cultural sites eligible for inclusion on the list.

Greece has 20 properties in Greece inscribed on the World Heritage List, 18 of which are cultural sites and two (Meteora and Mount Athos) are mixed, listed for both their natural and cultural significance. The first site added to the list was the Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae, in 1986. The next two sites listed were the Archeological site of Delphi and the Acropolis of Athens, in the following year. Five sites were added in 1988, two in 1989 and 1990 each, one in 1992, one in 1996, two in 1999, and one in 2007. The most recent site added was the Minoan Palatial Centres, in 2025. In addition, there are 12 sites on the tentative list, all of which were nominated in 2014.

The Pineios (Greek: Πηνειός, romanized: Pineiós, Modern Greek: [pi.ni.ˈos], Ancient Greek: [pɛːnei̯ós], referred to in Latin sources as Peneus) is a river in Thessaly, Greece. The river is named after the god Peneus. During the later Middle Ages, it was also known as the Salamvrias or Salavrias (Σαλα[μ]βριάς).

It flows from the Pindus mountains through the Thessalian plain and empties into the Aegean Sea, northeast of the Vale of Tempe, near Stomio. It creates a large delta, well known for its beauty and for many animal species, protected by international environmental treaties. Its total length is 205 km. Its drainage basin is 9,500 km (3,700 sq mi). Its source is near the village Malakasi, on the eastern slope of the Pindus main range, east of Metsovo. The Meteora region and the city of Larissa lie along the Pineios. Trikala lies on its tributary, the Lithaios. In the 1960s, a freeway connecting Athens and Thessaloniki was constructed in much of the Vale of Tempe.

A rock formation is an isolated, scenic, or spectacular surface rock outcrop. Rock formations are usually the result of weathering and erosion sculpting the existing rock. The term rock formation can also refer to specific sedimentary strata or other rock unit in stratigraphic and petrologic studies.

A rock structure can be created in any rock type or combination:

Metsovo (Greek: Μέτσοβο; Aromanian: Aminciu) is a town in Epirus, in the mountains of Pindus in northern Greece, between Ioannina to the west and Meteora to the east.

The largest centre of Aromanian (Vlach) life in Greece, Metsovo is a large regional hub for several small villages and settlements in the Pindus region, and it features many shops, schools, offices, services, museums, and galleries. The economy of Metsovo is dominated by agriculture and tourism, the latter flourishing in winter.

Trikala (Greek: Τρίκαλα) is a city in northwestern Thessaly, Greece, and the capital of the Trikala regional unit. The city straddles the Lithaios river, which is a tributary of Pineios. According to the Greek National Statistical Service, Trikala is populated by 62,064 inhabitants (2021), while the municipality of Trikala is populated by 78,605 inhabitants (2021).

Trikala is a lively Greek city with picturesque monuments and old neighborhoods with traditional architecture. The city is near Meteora and also near the mountain range of south Pindus, where there are many destinations (i.e. Pyli's stone bridge, Elati, Pertouli, Palaiokarya's stone bridge and waterfall, Pertouli Ski Center etc.).

A cave monastery is a monastery built in caves, with possible outside facilities. The 3rd-century monk St. Anthony the Great, known as the founder of Christian monasticism, lived in a cave.

• Albania
  • Qafthanë Cave Church, cave church near Urakë
  • St. Mary's Church, cave church in Maligrad, an island in the Prespa lake
• Armenia
  • Geghard cave monastery/fortress
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Zavala monastery
• Bulgaria
  • Aladzha Monastery
  • Albotin Monastery
  • Basarbovo Monastery
  • Rock-hewn Churches of Ivanovo
  • Cave monasteries of Krepcha
  • Monasteries of Provadia
  • Cave monasteries on the Plateau of Shumen
  • Cave monasteries of Tervel
• Egypt
  • St. Simon the Tanner Monastery
• Ethiopia
  • Monolithic church
• France
  • Abbey of Saint-Roman, Beaucaire, Gard
• Georgia
  • David Gareja monastery complex
  • Vanis Kvabebi cave monastery/fortress, Javakheti Plateau
  • Vardzia cave city and monastery
• Greece
  • various cave hermitages at Meteora
  • various cave hermitages at Mount Athos
    • caves at Karoulia
  • Monastery of Saint Mark, Petroussa (bg)
• Hungary
  • Gellért Hill Cave chapels and monastery, Budapest
• Iraq
  • Rabban Hormizd Monastery, Alqosh
  • Mar Qayuma Monastery, Dooreh
• Israel
  • Qumran Caves, once inhabited by the Essenes
• Montenegro
  • Ostrog Monastery
• North Macedonia
  • Kališta Monastery, Struga
• Romania
  • Basarabi Cave Complex
  • Corbii de Piatră
  • Nămăiești
• Russia
  • Monastery of the Caves, Nizhny Novgorod
  • Pskov Cave Monastery, Pskov Oblast
  • Divnogorye and Saviour Convent, Voronezh Oblast
• Serbia
  • Blagoveštenje
  • Crna Reka
  • Gornjak
  • Kađenica
  • Churches of Kovilje Monastery
  • Church of Sts. Peter and Paul, also known as the Cave Church, 14th-century church in Lukovo
  • Church of Sts. Peter and Paul, in Rsovci, where was painted a unique fresco of bald Jesus
  • Hermitage of St. Peter Koriški
  • Savina
• Thailand
  • Wat Tham Khan, Sakon Nakhon province
  • Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tam Sua), Krabi
• Turkey
  • Cappadocia cave monasteries
  • Cave monastery of İnceğiz
  • Church of Saint Peter
• Ukraine

  

  • Bakhchysarai Cave Monastery in Crimea
  • Chelter-Koba (uk) in Crimea
  • Chylter-Marmara (uk) in Crimea
  • Inkerman Cave Monastery in Crimea
  • Assumption Cave Monastery in Zymne, Volyn Oblast
  • Bakota Cave Monastery in Bakota, Khmelnytskyi Oblast
  • Kachi-Kalon (uk) in Crimea
  • Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (Near and Far Caves) in Kyiv
  • Kytaiv Monastery (uk) in Kyiv
  • Shuldan (uk) in Crimea
  • Sviatohirsk Lavra in Sviatohirsk, Donetsk Oblast
  • Yeletskyi Monastery (Saint Anthony's Caves) in Chernihiv