Madonna flew into Meteora by helicopter on Friday, August 14, landing with a group of around 12 people, including her so...

Madonna flew into Meteora by helicopter on Friday, August 14, landing with a group of around 12 people, including her son, after arriving from Corfu where she had been vacationing. She spent roughly three hours at the site, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., before returning to Corfu to continue her Greek holiday. The highlight of the visit was a private tour of the Varlaam Monastery, which monks opened specifically for her after it had already closed to the public for the day. She arrived dressed in white and kept a low profile throughout, moving discreetly with two guides from the Visit Meteora office, Patricia Mania and Dominiki Kalafati. During the visit, Madonna met privately with the monastery's abbot, Father Venediktos, 49, who was elected to the role in February 2022. A monk who was present described the conversation as deeply personal and spiritual in nature. Madonna reportedly asked the abbot for spiritual guidance and showed particular curiosity about the prayer rope he was holding in his hand. Varlaam Monastery, one of the most historic sites in the Meteora complex, sits on a towering rock in the northwestern part of the rock city. Its history as a functioning monastic community dates to the early 16th century, when two monks from a prominent Byzantine family in Ioannina established a brotherhood there. Today, seven monks live at the monastery. Madonna's Greece trip comes as the Meteora monasteries continue to draw visitors from around the world, though private after-hours access of this kind is exceptionally rare. #Madonna #Meteora #Greece