Greece, Holy Meteora, The Monastery of Saint Stephen

The Monastery of Saint Stephen is an Orthodox women's monastery on one of the cliffs of Thessaly in the Trikala prefecture, Greece. It is one of the six surviving Meteora monasteries.

The monastery was founded in the 14th century, but the rock itself became inhabited in the 12th century. The founder of the monastery is considered to be a descendant of the Kadakuzinos family, monk Antony. The restorer of the ancient cathedral of the monastery in the middle of the 16th century, and then the second founder, was monk Philotheus. During this same period, around 1545, Patriarch Eremey declared the monastery patriarchal and independent - this privilege was valid for more than 200 years. At the end of the 18th century, a new cathedral was built, dedicated to Saint Charalambos, who since the 17th century was considered the second patron (after Saint Stephen) of the monastery.