Kalambaka considered by the cities of Thessaly, which is a destination for the whole world, after lying next to Meteora, one of the wonders of the world. The town of Kalambaka offers hotels, rooms and guest houses with very good prices and offers for visitors. The restaurants just below the Meteora create a truly unique setting for dining and entertainment.
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Kalambaka, a city built below the rock of the Meteora

Every year, millions of visitors come from all over the world in order to admire and honour Meteora. If its needed, they stay at Kalampaka and Kastraki. Kalampaka is a city of rich history and important monuments. The one of the greatest importance is the Holy Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary that is at the north-eastern part of the city under the very high rock of Aea. The city of Kalampaka is built on the feet of the Meteora and it is at the left side of the river Pinios at the point that it enters the plain of Thessaly. It is the starting place for those visitors who wish to be familiar with the monuments and the magnificent sites of Aspropotamos of Hasia, of Koziakas and especially of the Meteora.
The city of Kalampaka is the capital of the homonymous province that takes up the north-western part of the prefecture of Trikala. There, one can find nice hotels, modern campings, restaurants, tourist shops, etc. The ancient name of the city was Aeginion. This is how it is mentioned in the Hellenistic and Roman years because of the great importance of its position. The name Aeginion is witnessed from an enshrined inscription on the wall that is at the eastern part of the church of Saint John the Baptist. At the beginning of the 10th century (901-907) Kalampaka of today is mentioned as Stagi, a name that is reserved until today as a Metropolitan title. Many travellers passed through Kalampaka from the ancient years until today and they refer to it by the name Aeginion or by the name Stagi or by its present name Kalampaka. At the north-eastern part of the city exists the picturesque neighbourhood of Sopotos, under the rock of the Holy Trinity (east) and the rock of Alsos (north). In the city there are many small churches -country chapels of post Byzantine age. In fact, many of them have admirable hagiographies.
The cathedral church of Saint Vissarion is constructed in the honour of Saint Metropolitan of Larissa, who was the founder and the owner of the Monastery of Dusikos. The church has been hagiographied entirely by John Albanis. The Byzantine church of the Assumption of Virgin Mary is the most important and most imposing monument of Kalampaka which constitutes a point of reference and adoration for all the faithful people. Despite the significant efforts that have been materialised, it is obvious the abandonment on behalf of the people in change for the systematic maintenance of the temple and the environmental space, too.
Let us hope that UNESCO, the European Community and mostly the Greek state will be interested in the maintenance of this appreciable monument of Orthodoxy before it is too late. The church of the Assumption of Virgin Mary, which is found in the old city, was erected between the 10th and the 11th century on the ruins of an old Christian "basilica" church. The order (way of building) is "trikliti" (triforium) basilica of mixed type "it has very high and lit the intermediate "klitos" (aisle) of the narthex and the "trivilo". The outer narthex was added in the 16th century. In the southern wall there are surrounded with wall externally a lot of ancient parts of bas-reliefs (rodakes representations wrought in relief, signs, capes etc.), as well as old Christian sculpture with a vine-shoot. From the sculpture decoration of the Byzantine basilica, the oldest is the marble "kivorio" (tomb) of the Holy Altar found in the Sanctuary. Special interest presents the unique in Greece marble pulpit that imposingly is raised at the centre of the intermediate "klitos" in front of the Holy Gate. It has been reconstructed to its biggest part from architectural parts of the old pulpit. The murals of the church are dated from the 12th until the 16th century and are of exceptional interest. A lot of murals were created in 1573 by priest Kiriazis and by Neofytos, son of the eminent painter Theofanis from Crete. The most important of the temples portable pictures is the both sides painted picture, which on the one side portrays the Assumption of Virgin Mary and on the order the Christs Crucifixion. The two now separate, pictures after the theft and their restoration are kept in the Varlaam Monastery of the Meteora. The wood carved temple of the church belongs to the appreciable work of the post Byzantine wood carving and it was created during the 17th century. In a little depth on the front left part of the main temple, part of a mosaic flooring had been revealed. As we enter the temple on the northern wall of the inner narthex they are written, with capital letters writing, the "golden bull" of the Emperor Andronikos c Paleologos 1336 with which the borders of the Bishopric of Stagi are determined and privileges are granted, as well as the "sigilio" (the Patriarchs edict) of the Ecumenical "universal". Patriarch Antonios D 1393 with which the privileges of the Bishopric of Stagi - that various emperors of Byzantium had granted occasionally are renewed. Impressive and imposing is also the churchs bell tower, found on the northern side of the entrance in the grounds of the church.