For centuries, the monasteries at Meteora ("middle of the sky") have been a sanctuary for countless monks, nuns and pilgrims who flee the world and its cares. They provide safety although they sit atop dangerous cliffs and mountains. Hundreds of monastics used to live in the 24 monasteries there, and now fewer than 60 monastics in six monasteries dwell there today. However, as Sayidna JOSEPH told his pilgrims, that fact doesn't make the mountains any less holy or the presence of God any less felt. A few hours spent there proved his point.

The visit began with a trip through the museum of the St. Stephen the First-Martyr Monastery. It features a priceless collection of Orthodox Christian antiquities from the 14th through the 19th centuries: gospel book covers gilded in gold, silver and mother-of-pearl; priests' vestments like phelonia (capes), stoles, cuffs and shields all made of metallic brocades; censers, chalices and hand crosses made of precious metals; bibles, manuscripts and chant books; and, of course, various icons.

Speaking of icons, those inside of St. Charalambos Church were a mixture of new and old. The old ones go back centuries and reside mostly in front of the church on the iconostasis. But the new ones are fresh, as the iconographer-in-residence, Blasis Tsostionis, continues to cover the church and outer narthex with even new "windows to heaven" of Christ and scenes from His life and ministry. Mr. Tsostionis also wrote all of the icons for St. Mary Basilica in Livonia, Michigan.

All of the pilgrims got to venerate the head of St. Charalambos, a third century bishop of Magnesia who was martyred at the age of 103. Afterward, Sayidna JOSEPH and his clergy were then welcomed by abbess of St. Stephen Monastery, Prodromie Christonymphie. Of the six inhabited monasteries, hers is the most populous with 30 nuns. (Others have as few as three.) She explained that St. Stephen Church dates to the 13th century and St. Charalambos Church opened in 1798. However, both are in constant states of renewal. Sayidna thanked her and the sisters for their patient hospitality, even with the thousands of other tourists who pour into Meteora each year.

Next, the pilgrims visited the 15th century Monastery of All Saints, founded by St. Barlaam. Soon thereafter, the Ottoman Turks raided it. They allowed the monastery to survive, but denied it of any privileges. Generous benefactors kept it alive throughout the centuries of occupation, including the Serbian Tzar Stephen Dusan and his royal family.

To the untrained eye, all of the frescoes would seem morbid and even disturbing because they focus on death. They graphically depict the persecutions that the saints endured. The icon of St. Sisoes the Great shows him sitting over the coffin of a skeleton with the inscription: "O great king, you conquered the whole world, but what is left for you?" Even the icon of the apocalypse of "The Last Judgment" shows a monster swallowing up people. But to the trained eye, these icons show people that they must endure suffering for Christ's sake and for their own salvation. These icons taught believers new and old what to expect in this world for the sake of the next. The large "Last Judgment" icon does show the Theotokos and all of Christ's saints (even the good thief on the cross) dwelling in paradise with him. As Sayidna himself said, these icons don't exist to scare us or threaten us with punishment, although we cannot minimize our preparation for death. Rather, the icons reveal that these holy ones exist to inspire and help us for the joy that should be ours.

Sayidna and the clergy were then invited by the abbot to tour the private grounds of All Saints Monastery, where the seven brothers have some peace and quiet from all of the tourists. Like at all monasteries, His Eminence gave the monks a list of the loved ones of the pilgrims so that they may always include them in their prayers. Then he gave them a brief history of the Antiochian Archdiocese in America and the struggles and challenges the early clergy and laity faced in building it. He also described the inter-Orthodox clergy and laity gatherings offered by the canonical Orthodox Christian bishops of the West Coast.

The monks then led Sayidna and the clergy into their Chapel of the Three Hierarchs, which contains those saints' relics and about a dozen others. The brothers keep the skull of St. Nicholas the New-Martyr of Meteora who had been killed by the Turks. All of the relics were offered for veneration. Then, Fr. Christopher Salamy chanted the apolytikion hymn of the Three Hierarchs and one of the monks remarked it was refreshing to hear him chant in English. The tour concluded with the beautiful dining hall of the monks, which features brand new iconography from top to bottom. Words cannot do it justice, so the photographs will.