I've always thought it would be really cool to plan a trip around all the amazing monasteries in the world. I know its really not practical to do it all in one trip because, well, these sanctuaries are peppered all over and are usually in the most precarious locations. But, hey, its still fun to imagine an adventure like this could happen. Here are a few that are on my must-see list.
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1. Phuktal Monastery - northern India. This monastery is built into a cave and supposedly on wood, stone and mud bricks. It's freakin' unbelievable that it has pretty much stayed in tact since the 12th century (when it was built) given the type of materials that were used.
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2. Sumela - northeast Turkey. Dating back to the 4th century and perched on a cliff in terrain resembling the Italian Alps, Sumela is the principal monument in Turkey's Black Sea coast. It fell to ruins a few times, but was restored by various emperors after each crumble.
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3. Meteora - central Greece. Doesn't it look like this giant rock tower sprouted a Mediterranean villa? Meteora has to be the mac daddy of monasteries of the Western world since it attracts so many tourists. There were originally twenty monuments but only six are standing today, with a few people (nuns and monks) living in each.
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4. St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery - Kiev, Ukraine. This impressive display of architecture was built in the Middle Ages and is comprised of a cathedral, a refectory, the Economic Gates (built in 1760) and a bell tower. The cathedral portion (pictured above) was supposedly demolished in the 1930s by Soviet authorities, but was later reconstructed when Ukraine gained its independence. I just love the pale blue exterior.
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