The Hermit Caves of Badovas

In the center of the valley lies the old chapel of Panaghia from the 19th century. On the foot of the high rock of Pixari is the skete of Aghios Antonios, partially built inside the large cavity on the foothills of the rock.

In the old days, this skete was accessible through a cave that existed right below it, where a wooden ladder connected it with the upper cave. Next to it, placed on the same cliff are the hermit caves of Agios Grigorios or St. Gregory. The hermit caves of Badovas is the place where the last of the hermit monks of Meteora lived more than 2 centuries ago.

Today, the wooden ruins of ladders and other scaffolds still remain, perched high up on the cliff of Pyxari. A stark reminder of the physical and spiritual effort monks put in this place for centuries! The hermit caves of Badovas with the small monastery is one of the few places in the world that someone can witness all three types of monasticism within the Greek Orthodox Church, co-existing today side by side…

Owing to the magnificent view of this location, a new district with traditional houses, small but modern hotels, and well-known tavernas emerged around the foothills of the cliffs surrounding the hermit caves of Badovas, in the picturesque village of Kastraki.