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10 monasteries built on cliffsides and mountaintops


Photo courtesy of iStock / stevegeer

Feats of engineering

For centuries, devotees of major religions around the world have been building awe-inspiring structures to honor their gods. Take a look at these 10 seemingly impossible monasteries.

Photo courtesy of iStock / Ihor_Tailwind

Meteora Monastery | Greece

In Greek, Meteora means “suspended in the air,” and the name is appropriate for the series of monasteries perched atop the sandstone pillars in Central Greece. Monks have enjoyed the serenity of these isolated buildings since the 11th century.

The monasteries were designed to be difficult to access, but today the approach is a little less frightening thanks to a series of steps carved into the rocks.

Photo courtesy of iStock / erandalx

Sigiriya | Sri Lanka

Sigiriya, or Lion Mountain, juts out of the jungles of northern Sri Lanka. Atop the towering rock formation sit the ruins of what was once a sheltered Buddhist monastery from the 5th century through the 14th century. Visitors pass between two giant lion paws carved from the stone before making the steep climb up the rock face to the top.

Photo courtesy of iStock / santirf

Sant Miquel del Fai | Spain

The Benedictine monastery perched on the cliffs in the…



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