28
Apr

2011

The Flying Monks Of Meteora

Post by Steven Dale

Image by flickr user cod_gabriel.

Likely one of the most awe-inspiring examples of Cable Propelled Transit and/or gondola transit are the deeply vernacular Meteora Cable Cars.

A Unesco World Heritage site, The Meteora are a series of Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Northern Greece dating from the 14th and 15th centuries. All are located hundreds of meters in the sky atop large sandstone pillars.

Given the – to say the least – unique topographical challenges, the Monks appear to have turned to a little bit of cable innovation to solve some of their transport difficulties.

This shouldn’t really surprise. After all, cable has had a vast and measurable role in alpine construction settings (see here, for example) for quite literally thousands of years. One can reasonably and logically assume, therefore, that cable had a direct role in the creation of Meteora.

It’s admittedly difficult to tell the extent of the system used throughout the 6 different monasteries. Again, little information exists about the lifts specifically and most images we could find were of a single line. But as you’ll see below, there are at least 2 different cabins suggesting either multiple lines or the ability to switch cabins on the same line.

Nevertheless, if cable transit’s good enough for God . . .

Image by flickr user George Terezakis.

Image by flickr user Jaime Perez.

Image by flickr user Mr. Theklan

Image by flickr user zsenya

Image by reisende-unter-der-sonne

Image by flickr users Neil and Kathy Carey

Image by flickr user Mr. Theklan

Image by flickr user Multitude

 



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Want more? Purchase Cable Car Confidential: The Essential Guide to Cable Cars, Urban Gondolas & Cable Propelled Transit and start learning about the world's fastest growing transportation technologies.

Comments

  1. That's pretty amazing. Are they mechanically driven?
  2. I'd have to assume so. Alternatively, it would be amazing to see 14 monks pulling on a rope to drag the gondola back-and-forth.
  3. gives new meaning to the phrase "leap of FAITH", eh?

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