The Meteora (in Greek language: "suspended in the air ") is one of the largest and most important complex of monasteries in Greece, rising over 400m above the Thessalian plain . By the late 11th or early 12th century ,the hermit monks, seeking a retreat from the expanding Turkish occupation, found the inaccessible rock pillars of Meteora to be an ideal refuge. The monasteries are built on natural sandstone rock pillars, at the north western edge of the Plain of Thessaly near the Peneios river and Pindus Mountains , in central Greece . Although more than 20 monasteries were built in Meteora beginning in the 14th century, only six remain today. Meteora is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List .
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