Venerable
Venerable Athanasius Of Meteora
1302 — †1380
Venerable Athanasius of Meteora — founder of the monastic brotherhood and monasteries on the rocks of Meteora (Greece); he settled on the rock of Platylithos, which he named "Meteoron" ("suspended in the air"), where he built the Church of the Transfiguration, giving its name to the entire monastic complex.
Venerable Athanasius was born in 1302 in the city of Neai Patrai. Orphaned early, he was raised by his uncle. After the capture of his native city by Catalan mercenaries in 1319, he was taken captive but managed to escape to Thessaloniki, where he took monastic vows. He traveled widely among monastic centers, including Constantinople and Mount Athos. Around 1340 he settled in the region of Thessaly and took up residence in a cave atop the high rock of Platylithos, which he named "Meteoron" (from Greek "suspended in the air"). Brethren seeking a life of solitary asceticism began to gather around him. The venerable one began building a church in honor of the Theotokos, and when the number of monks reached fourteen, the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord was erected, which later became the cathedral church of the monastery and gave its name to the entire Meteora monastic complex. He died in 1380. His memory is kept on April 20/May 3.
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