Varlaam monastery
The second largest of the Meteora monasteries, standing on a high rock reached by a long flight of steps. Its church was painted in 1548, and a museum holds icons and manuscripts.
- Where
- Kalambaka, Thessaly, Greece
- Grade
- UNESCO heritage
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site, plus 8 for its grade
- Coordinates
- 39.7252, 21.6302
Get the Varlaam monastery stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Varlaam monastery. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Thessaly volume with your photos and a note.
Near Varlaam monastery
Rousanou Monastery 0.4 km
An Orthodox monastery, now a convent, near Kalambaka in Thessaly. It sits on top of a rocky precipice more than 415 metres above the Pineios valley floor and is one of the monasteries of Meteora.
Meteora 1.4 km
A cluster of tall sandstone pillars in Thessaly with Orthodox monasteries built on their tops from the 14th century. Six are still active, and the whole area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Lake Plastiras 48 km
An artificial lake in the mountains near Karditsa, also called Tavropos Reservoir and fed by the Tavropos river. It is named after the Greek general and politician Nikolaos Plastiras, who first proposed the dam.
Ioannina Castle 66 km
The fortified old town of Ioannina in northwestern Greece, beside Lake Pamvotida. The present walls date largely from the reconstruction under Ali Pasha in the late Ottoman period and include Byzantine parts.
Mount Olympus 73 km
The highest mountain in Greece at 2,918 metres, home of the twelve gods in ancient myth. Its summit Mytikas can be reached by hikers from Litochoro, and the area is a national park and biosphere reserve.
Dodona 76 km
An ancient sanctuary in Epirus, among the oldest oracles of Greece, where priests read the will of Zeus in the rustling of a sacred oak. The site has a large theatre from the third century BC that is still used for performances.
Vikos Gorge 79 km
A gorge in the Pindus Mountains of northwestern Greece, running about 32 km along the southern slopes of Mount Tymphe. Its depth ranges from 120 to 1,350 metres, and it is listed by Guinness among the deepest gorges in the world relative to its width.
Vale of Tempe 80 km
A narrow, steep sided gorge cut by the Pineios river between Mount Olympus and Mount Ossa. It is about 10 km long and was praised by ancient poets as a sacred place of Apollo.
More UNESCO World Heritage sites in Thessaly
Questions
Where is Varlaam monastery?
Varlaam monastery is in Kalambaka, Thessaly, Greece. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Rousanou Monastery (0.4 km), Meteora (1.4 km), Lake Plastiras (48 km).
How do I get the Varlaam monastery stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Varlaam monastery and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Thessaly volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Varlaam monastery before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Thessaly volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
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