Famous Monasteries from the Sky

Top contributor and pilot GeorgeMarcu treats us to this epic aerial tour of the famous monasteries of Meteora in the Thessaly region of northern Greece.  The immense rock pillars of the region are home to six Greek Orthodox monasteries.  The most well known is the Monastery of the Holy Trinity.  This masterpiece "played the role" of St. Cyril's in the 13th James Bond movie For Your Eyes Only (1981), in which 007 (played by Roger Moore) scales a cliff and dispatches a henchman of Aristotle Kristatos.

Former Drone Video of the Week Winner Tymoshenko Pavel brings us this stunning  drone video of one of the most famous Eastern Orthodox monasteries: Ukraine's Holy Dormition Pochayiv Lavra.  It's located in the town of Pochaiv in the province of Ternopil.  The most important Eastern Othodox monastery in the western Ukraine, Pochayiv Lavra is at least 600 years old and may date to as early as the Mongol Invasions of the 13th century.  The complex's most prominent building, the Dormition Cathedral, dates to the late 18th century.  

Johny Kondakjian Photography used a drone to create this beautiful video of the Khor Virap Monastery on Armenia's Ararat Plain.  The structure was built in the 17th century, on the ruins of the site of a Pilgrimage of Gregory the Illuminator, who was credited with converting Armenia to Christianity in the 4th century AD.  The current church was preceded by a chapel built on this important religious site.  The monastery also provides a vantage point to view nearby Mt. Ararat, Turkey's tallest mountain.

Contributor PixelDo created this epic drone video of one of the world's most famous Tibetan Buddhist monasteries.  Key Monastery is situated in the Spiti Valley in the state of Himachal Pradesh in northern India.  It's in the foothills of the Himalayas, at an altitude of over 4.1k meters (almost 13.7k ft.).  Believed to have been built in the 11th century, it's the largest monastery in the Spiti Valley, which served as the conduit for the spread of Buddhism from its birthplace in Tibet into India.

The Montserrat mountain masif northwest of Barcelona, Spain is the home of one of the most important sites of the Christian religion: the Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey.  Founded in the 12th century, it's home to the Virgin of Montserrat statue, the most famous of the Black Madonna icons.  The monastery was rebuilt in the 19th and 20th centuries and is currently houses about 80 Benedictine monks.  In this video by Franlac-Channel-France, you can get a bird's eye view of the famous monastery and the adjacent basilica.  

Top contributor iDrone Aerials created this magnificent drone video of one of the world's most famous monasteries as well as one of the most recognizable sites in France.  Mont Saint-Michel is a tiny island off the coast of Normandy, one of the regions of northwestern France.  The Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey, which sits atop the island and is its centerpiece, dates to the 8th century.  It is prominently visible in the famous Bayeux Tapestry which commemorates the Norman conquest of England in the 11th century.

For a first upload to AirVuz, new contributor vdelfilms brings us this excellent drone video from one of the great cultural treasures of Spain: the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, better known simply as El Escorial.  Located less than an hour's drive northwest of Madrid, the heart of the complex is a royal monastery constructed on the orders of Spanish King Philip II during the latter half of the 16th century, during the height of Spanish power.  Among other distinctions, it's the largest Renaissance-era structure in the world.  

Content creator and drone pilot Icarus Aerial Filming created this stunning bird's eye view of the Simonos Petra Monastery, one of the great cultural treasures of Greece.  The monastery is on the Holy Mountain of Athos on a peninsula of Thrace in northeastern Greece.  The mountain is considered one of the most important places in the Eastern Orthodox religion, and Mt. Athos is technically a monastic state within the state of Greece, a status which has some similarities with that of the Vatican.  

Contributor and drone pilot AlexAvsharov brings us this excellent aerial video of one of the great Monasteries of Armenia.  The Tatev Monastery is located in the Syunik Province, a southeastern extension of the country which is all but surrounded by Azerbaijan and Iran.  Founded in the 9th century AD, the three main components to the complex are churches devoted to Saints Paul and Peter, Saint Gregory the Illuminator, and Holy Mother of God.  At one point, the monastery was home to over 1,000 monks. 

Contributor and pilot TAO Swiss used a DJI Mavic Pro drone to create this beautiful aerial tour of the area around Mandalay, on Myanmar's Sacred Plain of Bagan.  This area of Southeast Asia is one of the most important areas of the Buddhist religion, and was once home to thousands of temples and other religious structures.  The highlight of the video is at the 4:00 mark, where you'll get a rare aerial look at the Taung Kalat, a very famous Buddhist monastery built (seemingly impossibly) atop a very steep hill near Mount Popa.  

Check out this magnificent video of one of Turkey's most famous monasteries, compliments of contributor and drone pilot enghasanali.  Sumela is a Greek Orthodox monastery built into a mountain in Trabzon, one of the provinces of Turkey's Black Sea region.  Its "host" Melá Mountain is part of the Pontic range which runs parallel to the coastline.   The original structure dates to the 4th century AD, and it took its present form in the 13th century.   It's associated with a famous icon of the Virgin Mary.  

Top contributor and pilot Dronescapes by Atellani used a Zenmuse X7 camera mounted to a DJI Inspire 2 drone to make this spectacular video of the Certosa di Pavia, a monastery northern Italy's Lombardy region.  It lies near the town of Pavia.  The monastery was built over a hundred year period roughly coinciding with the 15th century.  It was commissioned by a nobleman from Milan, which lies a short distance to its north.  Among other distinctions, the Certosa di Pavia is one of Italy's largest monasteries.

In this video by contributor and drone pilot Vaterlou, you'll get a bird's eye view of a well known Eastern Orthodox monastery in the heart of Russia.  The Kursk Root Hermitage of the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God  is located in the Kursk province, one of the 18 which make up Russia's Central Federal District.  The monastery, which dates to the turn of the 16th century, was built to commemorate the Kursk Root Icon of the Sign, a painting which was found in the forests of Kursk around 1300 AD. 

Friary Ross is one of the best-preserved medieval monasteries in Western Europe.  It is located in County Galway on the west coast of Ireland.  Sometimes referred to as "Ross Abbey", it is considered a cultural treasure of Ireland is protected under national conservation statutes.  Contributor and pilot Ashville Aerial used a DJI Mavic Pro drone to create a remarkable aerial tour of this centuries-old site.  Although the monastery has fallen into disuse, it continues to be used as a burial grounds.  

Contributor A Kid with a Gun used a drone to create this stunning aerial view of Somapura Mahavihara, the great Buddhist monastery in the South Asian nation of Bangladesh.  Located in the northwestern part of the country, near the Indian border, it played an important role in the eastward spread of Buddhism from India.  The 1,200 year old structure is considered on of the most important cultural sites on the Indian Subcontinent, and is one of just three UNESCO World Heritage sites in Bangladesh as of 2018.

Ostrog Monastery is one of the most well-known cultural landmarks of Montenegro, the Southeast European country which achieved independence from Serbia in the early 2000's.  Built into the side of a giant rock above the Plain of Bjelopavlići near the geographic center of the country, the Serbian Orthodox monastery was founded in the 17th century and underwent substantial renovation in the 1920's.   Seen here in this drone video by top AirVuz contributor Beautiful Montenegro, it's dedicated to St. Basil of Ostrog (1610-1671).  

Contributor Dronescapes by Atellani created this marvelous drone video of a monastery in Piedmont, Italy called the Sacra di San Michele.  Settlement in the area dates to the Antiquity, with the present monastery having been built in either the 10th or 11th century AD.  Also known as St. Michael's Abbey, this landmark has an important place in 20th century literature: it served as the inspiration for the monastery in Umberto Eco's 1980 novel The Name of the Rose, one of the bestselling works of fiction ever.

Some of the oldest lands of Christianity can be found in the Caucasus region, a mountainous area which forms the border between Europe and Asia.  The predecessors of modern Armenia and Georgia were both in the Christian camp by the 4th century AD, long before most of Western Europe had any idea of the new religion.  This is the reason why the Caucasus is home to so many monasteries.  In this drone video by Malik_rus, you'll see the 6th century Jvari Monastery in the Georgian province of Mtskheta-Mtianeti, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  

Contributor NGreyTravels used a DJI drone to create this remarkable aerial video of one of the world's most famous hilltop structures.  The Sigiriya ("Lion Rock") is a gigantic rock fortress and monastery complex located near the center of Sri Lanka, the island nation off the southern coast of India.  The fortress was built in the 5th century AD as a new capital city by Kashyapa I, a long-serving king of Sri Lanka.  It was later converted to a monastery, which was active until the 14th century.

Papa.drone gives us a drone's eye view of the Star Wars Islands, two islands off the coast of southern Ireland.  Great Skellig (aka Skellig Michael) and Little Skellig are located southwest of the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry.  Once primarily known for Skellig Michael's 6th-century monastery, the islands burst into public consciousness in 2015 as the shooting location for Jedi Master Luke Skywalker's hideaway in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), appearing again in The Last Jedi (2017). 

Kiev Pechersk Lavra is one of the most well known landmarks in the great Ukrainian capital city on the Dneiper River.  Founded in the 11th century as a cave monastery, it's considered the most important Eastern Orthodox monastic structures.  Seen here in this drone video by worldfromabove, the site consists of several different buildings, including the Great Lavra Belltower, the Dormition Cathedral, and the Gate Church of the Trinity.  The complex is located roughly halfway between the Park of Eternal Glory and the Motherland Monument.  

Check out this drone video of a famous monastery in northern Spain, compliments of contributor Alfonso. The Monasterio de Leyre is located in the region of Navarre, an autonomous region of Spain that sits between Basque Country and Aragon.  The structure dates to the 9th century AD, although it was more or less completely rebuilt in the 16th century.  The monastery is located on the Camino de Santiago, a historical pilgrimage route that ends in the Galicia region in the country's northwestern corner.  

Contributor Viajes Los Planet brings us this 4k drone video of Bulgaria's largest and most famous monastery.  It's the  Monastery of Saint Ivan of Rila, better known simply as the Rila Monastery.  It's located in the Rila Mountains, in the southwestern part of Bulgaria.  The monastery is considered one of the most important cultural centers of this Southeast European country.  The current structure dates to the 14th century, although the monastery as an institution is believed to have been founded in the 10th century.  

Contributor Jack Jamka created this stunning drone video of an old Buddhist "Gompa" in Mongolia called Manzushir.  Gompas are multi-purpose structures which were built by Buddhist monks to provide physical security as well as sanctuaries for quiet contemplation and learning.  It was originally built in 1733, but destroyed during a period of civil strife in the 1930's.  The remains of the monastery complex are a short distance to the south of the country's capital Ulaanbaatar, in the central part of the country.

Here's an awesome aerial look at a famous monastery on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, compliments of contributor and drone pilot Lego.  It's called the Kykkos Monastery, and it's situated near the village of Pedoulas in the Nicosia District, which covers much of the central part of the island. The monastery is built in the Troodos Mountains, a range which covers much of western Cyprus.  The original monastery dates to the 11th century and is tied to a local legend involving the Byzantine Emperor.  

The famous "fairy tale chimneys" of Cappadocia in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey are not only natural wonders but also have great cultural value: these unique rock formations were used to build monasteries.  Some of these structures date to the third century AD, near the very dawn of the Christian religion.  In this drone video by contributor Turkey Home, you'll get a bird's eye view of Selime Monastery.  Located at the end of the Ilhara Valley, Selime dates to about the 8th century AD.

The Scottish Borders is a region of eastern Scotland, just north of the border with England.  One of the cultural highlights of this area is Jedburgh Abbey, a ruined 12th century Ausugtinian monastery.  Once one of the great monasteries of Great Britain, it fell victim to the waves of violence which spread over the region beginning with the First War of Scottish Independence in the late 13th century.  Contributor AvariceUK made a beautiful drone video of this important cultural landmark.  

Skydronauts used some amazing post-production editing to create this marvelous drone video of Whitby Abbey, situated in the Yorkshire town of the same name.  This iconic looking town on the coast of Northern England has a long literary history.  Famously, Whitby made a notable appearance in Bram Stoker's classic novel Count Dracula.  Stoker was inspired by the gothic appearance of the town, and in the book the dreaded count from Transylvania strikes Whitby after his ship runs aground there.  

Contributor Valius Video used a drone to create this bird's eye view of the New Jerusalem Monastery, which is not located anywhere near Israel.  Rather, it is in metropolitan Moscow, the great Russian capital city.  It was built in the 17th century on a site which was (vaguely) reminiscent of the "real" Jerusalem.  The monastery was heavily damaged by invading German troops in late 1941, marking very nearly the furthest advance made by Germany during that campaign before being driven back.

Content creator and drone pilot Droneland created this epic aerial video of the famous Po Lin Monastery on Lantau, one of the outlying islands of Hong Kong.  The Buddhist monastery was founded by monks from the Chinese mainland in 1906, and was known initially as the "Big Hut" (it took its current name in 1924).  In 1993, the complex was significantly expanded with the construction of the Big Buddha statue.   Standing 34 meters tall (over 100 ft), it's one of the largest Buddha statues in China.  

Contributor Flybyzion used a DJI Phantom 3 Professional to create this beautiful aerial of Santuário da Peninha, a well known Portuguese monastery.  It's situated on a rocky outcrop in the mountains of the Sintra province, which is part of the Greater Lisbon region and is situated just a bit to the north and west of the capital city.  The site has been used for monastic purposes since Portugal first converted to Christianity.  The chapel which currently sits atop the hill dates to the early 18th century.

Check out this drone ideo of a famous monastery in Russia, compliments of AirVuz contributor and pilot Anemko.  Yuriev Monastery is located on the banks of the Volkhov RIver near the city of Novgorod (also called Veliky Novgorod), about a two hour drive south of St. Petersburg.  The original structure of the complex dates to the 11th century, making it was is generally accepted to be the oldest monastery in Russia.  Heavily damaged during the Soviet period, Yiriev was restored to the Russian Orthodox Church in the 1990's.  

Content creator and pilot Digital Peace Drone created this beautiful drone video of one of the most well known monasteries in Brazil: the São Bento Monastery in the city of Rio de Janeiro.  The monastery is a Benedictine Abbey which dates to the late 16th century; the current structure dates to the late 17th century.  It's known in part for its ornately carved gliding, which were common features of the Baroque design.  Still operational, it's located on a hill near the center of the great city.  

Check out this beautiful drone video of Norway's best-preserved monastery, compliments of top contributor PilotViking.  It's called the Ulstein Kloster, and it's located on an island of the same name in Rogalund County in the southwestern part of the country.  The monastery dates to the 13th century, and is dedicated to Saint Lawrence.  The complex underwent substantial restoration in the early 20th century and further work on its buildings and grounds was undertaken several decades later.  

Contributor and pilot Fox Creative created this excellent aerial view of a well-known Orthodox Monastery in the Balkan nation of Montenegro.  Savina Monastery is located near the city of Herceg Novi on the Bay of Kotor, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea. The monastery dates to the 15th century.  The complex consists of three churches: the Church of the Assumption, the Great Temple of the Assumption, and the Church of St. Sava.  Savina also houses a number of important relics from a medieval Serb dynasty.  

Here's a nice aerial view of the largest monastery in the Baltic republic of Lithuania, compliments of contributor Andriuhamas.  It's the Pažaislis Monastery and the Church of the Visitation in the Petrašiūnai neighborhood of Kaunas the country's cultural capital.  The monastery founded in 1662 but wasn't completed until early in the 18th century.  It's considered the finest example of Baroque architecture in the country.  Since the 1990's, it's also been the scene of an annual music festival.  

Content creator and pilot Negraof used a DJI Spark drone to create this beautiful aerial view of the largest Buddhist monastery on the island of Taiwan.  It's the headquarters for Fo Guang Shan, a large Chinese Buddhist monastic order which was founded in the late 1960's.  While relatively young, Fo Guang Shan is considered one of the four leading Buddhist organizations on this Southeast Asian island nation.  It's part of the Kaohsiung municipality in the southwestern section of the country.

Here's an aerial video of a famous cave monastery in the Caucasus republic of Georgia, compliments of contributor 70daysaroundtheworld.  Vardzia is situated on the banks of the Kura River in the Samtskhe–Javakheti region, in the southern part of the country.  Constructed primarily in the 12th century, the caves are cut into a cliff wall.  They run for about 500 meters length-wise and are up to 19 tiers high.  The caves were abandoned following the Ottoman conquest of the region in the 1500's.  

The Bellaplais Abbey is an 800 year old structure built in the northern part of the Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus.  The site itself dates back to the Antiquity, where it was used to hide from seafaring Arab pirates that once terrorized the region.  Contributor Iaian Jordan used a DJI drone to make this amazing bird's eye view of the Abbey, which sits on a hilltop overlooking the Mediterranean Sea in the distance.  They Abbey is situated in Kyrenia, on a portion of the island which is controlled by Turkey.    

Contributor AlexAvsharov put together this excellent aerial tour of a well-known monastery in Armenia, one of the first lands to officially adopt Christianity.  It's called the Noravank Monastery, and it's located in a narrow river gorge in the Vayots Dzor Province near Yeghegnadzor, a bit over 120 km (75 mi.) south of the Armenian capital city, Yerevan.  It was founded in 1206.  The two main buildings in the complex are the Surb Astvatsatsin Church, completed in 1339, and the somewhat smaller Surb Karapet Church, completed in 1227.

Check out this drone video of Pakistan's most famous Buddhist monastery, compliments of contributor Backpacker Let's Explore the World.  It's called Takht-i-Bahi, and it's located near the town of Mardan near the middle of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.  It's actually a complex which includes the monastery, a court, assembly hall, and other buildings.  The monastery, which is the oldest part, dates to the first century AD.  It hasn't been used since the 7th century, falling into a ruined but well-preserved state.  

Contributor and pilot Maciej Ziomber combined drone and ground camera footage to create this marvelous video of one of Germany's most famous monasteries.  It's called Beuron Archabbey, and it's a Benedictine Monastery which was founded in 1863 in its namesake town.  It continues to operate, and it's currently home to Germany's largest monastic library.  Beuron is part of Baden-Württemberg, Germany's most heavily Catholic state, which covers the southwestern part of the country.

Former Drone Video of the Week Finalist Drone Photography Ireland brings us this excellent drone video of a famous Irish monastery.  Fore Abbey is located in County Westmeath, one of the interior counties of the Emerald Isle.  The original order dates to the 7th century AD, and was subject to numerous attacks by mauraders (including the Vikings), a dozen of which saw it burned.  Most of the complex's buildings date to the13th century.  The abbey and its surroundings are sometimes called the Seven Wonders of Fore by the local population.

Check out this drone video of a well-known Austrian monastery, compliments of AirVuz contributor#OBENDROHNE.  It's called Reichersberg Abbey, and it lies on the banks of the Inn River in the state of Upper Austria, on the German border.  The Augustinian monastery was founded in the late 11th century.  The original structure was destroyed by a fire in 1624 and later reconstructed in the Baroque style seen today.  Still home to about 20 canons, the monastery houses a large library and a substantial art collection.

Gelati Monastery is one of the cultural treasures of the Caucasus republic of Georgia.  Seen in this drone video by Maikl_rus, it's located on a hill overlooking the city of Kutaisi (Georgia's third-largest city and erstwhile capital) in the Imereti region in the west-central part of the country.  Founded in the early 12th century, the architecture of Gelati reflects a strong Byzantine influence; this is reflective of the strong ties that existed between the region and the Byzantine capital of Constantinople (now Istanbul).  

Einsiedeln Abbey is one of the most famous monasteries in Switzerland.  Seen in this drone video by AirVuz contributor dronemagic, the abbey's main building was built in the first part of the 18th century.  Administered by the Order of St. Benedict, it's located in its namesake town in the canton of Schwyz, near the geographic center of the country.  The monastery originally dates to the 9th century.   Five monasteries in the USA were founded by monks from Einsiedeln Abbey, which is dedicated to Our Lady of the Hermits.  

Check out this drone video of a well-known monastery in Southeastern England, compliments of oszibusz.  Bayham Old Abbey was founded in the early 13th century near the town of Lamberhurst in County Kent.  Initially devoted to the study of the works of St. Augustine, the monastery came into Crown hands during the time of the English Reformation.  It was sold to private owners in the early 18th century, and was donated to the state in the early 1960's.  Now an English Heritage property, it's open to the public.  

Check out this stunning aerial view of a very old hermitage in central Spain, compliments of AirVuz contributor Drone Visions. It's the Priory of Frutas, and it's located in the Segovia province of Castile and León, northwest of Madrid.  Situated on a peninsula of the Duratón River, the original structure was constructed in the 11th-12th centuries.  It's dedicated to the veneration of Saint Fructus, who died in the early 8th century during the period when Spain was coming under Muslim (Moorish) control.  

Check out these beautiful 4k drone views of a famous Benedictine Abbey in Hungary, compliments of Szantolacka.  Using a DJI Mavic Air drone, he filmed the Tihaney Abbey, which lies on the northern shore of Lake Balaton (one of the largest lakes in Central Europe).  The abbey was founded in the 11th century, and the current church was built in the mid-1700's.  The abbey is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Saint Aignan of Orleans, and its founding charter is considered the oldest surviving document using the Hungarian language.  

Jerónimos Monastery is one of the most well-known sites in the Portuguese capital city of Lisbon.  It is situated across the street from Empire Square (Praça do Império), just north of the Tagus River.  Dating to the late 15th century, the monastery was substantially altered in the late 1800's to take on its current Late Gothic architectural style.  Seen here in this excellent drone video by sphereview, the monastery complex has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1983.

Mar Saba is an important Eastern Orthodox monastery in Israel.  It's located in a valley in the Judean Desert, roughly halfway between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea.  Founded in the late 5th century AD, it's one of the oldest continuously-inhabited monastery complexes in the world.  Mar Saba played an important role in developing the Eastern Orthodox liturgy, which spread to Constantinople (now Istanbul) and later to other parts of the Eastern Orthodox world.   See it from above in this fantastic drone video by Make it Visual.  

Here's an excellent drone video of a well-known monastery on Italy's Lake Maggiore, compliments of content creator and pilot Kpax.  It's called the Hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso, and it's built on a rocky ridge overlooking the eastern shore of Lake Maggiore. Situated in Varese, one of the provinces of the Lombardy region, the structure was built in the 14th century.  Known for its 19th century interior frescoes, the complex consists of three separate buildings and has been designated a national monument.  

Here's a nice aerial view of a well known monastery complex in southern Germany, compliments of Obendrohne.  It's the Scheyern Abbey, and it's located in its namesake town in the Oberbayern administrative region of Bavaria.  The monastery of the Benedictine Order was founded in the early 12th century.  The monastery is the home of the True Cross of Jerusalem, an important religious icon which has been a pilgrimage destination for centuries.  The monastery was restored in the Rococo fashion in the late 18th century.  

Check out this drone video of a famous Serbian Orthodox monastery in Montenegro, compliments of new AirVuz contributor Nikola Zindovic.  It's called the Morača Monastery, and it's located near the middle of this small Southeast European country, in the valley of the complex's namesake river.  Founded in the mid-13th century, the monastery was burned by encroaching Ottoman forces in 1505.  It's known not only for its architecture but also for its frescoes, the oldest of which depicts the prophet Elijah.  

Take a tour of a famous Italian Abbey of San Galgano in this excellent drone video by AirVuz contributor and pilot Pascar.  Shot with a DJI Mavic Air 2 and supplemented with Insta360 ground camera footage, the video will give you a unique perspective of this Cistercian located between the towns of Chiusdino and Monticiano in Siena, the southernmost of the provinces of the Tuscany region.  The abbey originally dates to the 12th century, and the Gothic style 13th century church on the site remains partially standing.  

New AirVuz contributor Giorgi Chiaberashvili brings us this excellent drone video of an important landmark in the Caucasus republic of Georgia: the Motsameta Monastery.  The complex is located in the Imereti Region in the heart of the country, just a few mi/km from the ancient city of Kutaisi.   Its history is tied to two nobleman brothers, who were martyred here during an Arab invasion in the 8th century AD.  While parts of the monastery are over 1,000 years old, much of what you see today dates to a mid-19th century restoration.

The Tihaney Abbey is one of the more iconic sights of Hungary.  It lies on the shores of Lake Balaton, on a peninsula which effectively divides Central Europe's largest lake.  Seen in this drone video by tom g bp, it's a Benedictine monastery which was established in the 11th century AD, early in the nearly 1,000 year run of the Kingdom of Hungary.  Dedicated to the Holy Virgin and to Saint Bishop Aignan of Orleans, it's the final resting place of Andrew II; buried here in 1060, his is the only surviving grave of the early Hungarian kings.

AirVuz contributor ireland_from_air brings us this excellent drone video of a medieval ruins site in southern Ireland.  The focus of the video is the Kilcrea Friary, which is located near the town of Ovens in County Cork.  The monastery was built by local Franciscans in the 15th century.  It sustained attacks by the English army in the 16th century, which nearly ruined the structure.  It was partially restored in the early 17th century.  The video also includes footage of the nearby Kilcrea Castle, which was built around the same time.  

The Abbey of Saint-Martin-du-Canigou is a well-known Benedictine monastery in Southern France.  Dating to the early 11th century, it's situated in the Pyrenees Mountains, on lands that were part of Spain until the mid-17th century Treaty of the Pyrenees.  The monastery was heavily damaged by an earthquake in 1428, and shortly before the French Revolution it was abandoned by its monks.  The complex was restored over the first three decades of the 20th century, and today it's occupied by the Catholic Church's Community of the Beatitudes. 

Take a first person view (FPV) tour of a famous monastery in Russia, compliments of AirVuz contributor and FPV pilot Shkrebiy.  The Pskov-Pechory Monastery is located in the town of Pechory in the northwestern oblast (province) of Pskov.  The Russian Orthodox monastery was founded in 15th century, and took on its current form in the 16th century when it was also fortified due to its location on Russia's western borderlands.  It's one of a very few Russian monasteries which never closed during the Soviet period.

Check out these drone views of a famous monastery in northwestern Spain, compliments of AirVuz contributor Maite_Fornalino.  It's called the Sobrado Abbey (Monasterio de Santa María de Sobrado de los Monjes ), and it's located in its namesake town in A Coruña, one of the four provinces of the semi-autonomous region of Galicia.  Founded in the 10th century AD, and most of the abbey's architecture (including its Baroque style church) date to the early 18th century.  The monastery was restored and re-activated beginning in the 1950's.  

DVOW Finalist Nelstill put together this excellent video of a well-known Romanian monastery.  The Agapia Monastery is situated in Neamț County, part of the Moldavia region which covers the northeastern corner of the country.  The structure was built in the mid-17th century at the direction of an important regional military commander.  The video combines drone footage with ground camera footage of the monastery's interior, where you'll see some incredible 19th century paintings by a well-known Romanian artist.  

AirVuz contributor and pilot Anemko brings us this excellent drone video of Vyazhishchi Monastery, a famous hermitage in Northwestern Russia.  The structure is situated in its namesake village, just a few mi./km northwest of the city of Novgorod (aka Veliky Novgorod).   While the original monastery was founded in the late 14th century, The buildings which remain standing date to the time of Peter the Great i.e,,  around the turn of the 18th century.  It is famous for its tin-glazed pottery known as Maiolica.

Check out this drone video of a well-known monastery in the small Eastern European country of Moldova, compliments of igorartmd.  The Old Orhei Monastery is located in the town of Trebujeni on the Răut River (a right tributary of the Dniester), about an hour's drive northeast of the national capital in Chișinău.  Part of an archaeological and historical complex which also includes the remains of a fortress dating to the Antiquity and a Golden Horde fortress from the 14th century, the Orthodox monastery also dates to the 14th century.

Top AirVuz contributor seb-depp brings us this excellent video of a famous monastery ruins in England called Rievaulx Abbey.  It's located in its namesake town in the North York Moors area of North Yorkshire.  The abbey was founded in the 12th century by Cistercian monks.  In the 16th century, it was one of dozens of monasteries dissolved by King Henry VIII as part of the English Reformation.  It was turned over to  manufacturing for a time and then became part of an estate before being restored as a public landmark in the 20th century.  

Pažaislis Monastery is one of the great cultural landmarks of Lithuania, the small Baltic republic.  Seen in this drone video by contributor slaks_travel, the complex is located in Kaunas, Lithuania's second-largest city, on what is now a peninsula of the Kaunas Reservoir, an artificial lake created in the 1950's by the damming of the Neman River.  Considered one of the best examples of Baroque architecture in the Baltic region, construction of the site began in the 1660's and continued (with some intermissions) well into the 1700's.   

Among the more recent additions to the landscape of Scotland are the Kelpies - a set of two giant horsehead statues in the Lowlands' Falkirk Council, which you'll see in this drone video by Jaybee3786.  Completed in 2013, the statues are the symbolic heart of a land redevelopment project known as the Helix, which involves redeveloping the eastern end of the Forth and Clyde Canal where it joins the River Carron.  "Kelpies" are mythological horses which can transform themselves into a human, said to exist in Scotland's Lochs.  

As the first nation to convert en masse to Christianity, the republic of Armenia is home to a number of famous monasteries.  One of them is Arakelots Monastery, which is located in the northern province of Tavush, in the chain of mountains known as the Lower Caucasus (which runs roughly parallel to the main Caucasus range).  Not to be confused with a now-destroyed monastery of the same name in Turkey, Armenia's Arakelots Monastery dates to the 13th century.  Check it out from above in this drone video by johny kondakjian photography.

Check out this beautiful drone video of a hilltop hermitage in Portugal, compliments of AirVuz contributor Timeearth.  It's called the Sanctuary of Peninha, and it's located in the Sintra Mountains, west and a bit north of Lisbon.  Situated within the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, it sits on the site of a medieval sanctuary that dates to the 12th century AD and possibly earlier.  The main building on the site now is the Chapel of Nossa Senhora, which dates to the early 18th century; it's now complemented by a late 19th century mansion. 

Timoleague Friary is a Franciscan monastery located in County Cork, the southernmost county of Ireland.  Established in the 13th century, it's one of the county's largest medieval ruins.  Seen in this drone video by AirVuz contributor ireland_from_air, the structure is situated on the banks of the Argideen River.  Built on the site of an earlier monastery which dated to the 6th century, the friary (and much of its namesake town) was burnt in 1642 by forces under the control of Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork.  

AirVuz contributor and pilot RIK Fotos brings us this beautiful drone video of a famous abbey in northern Belgium.  It's called Averbode Abbey, and it's located in the town of Scherpenheuvel-Zichem in the province of Flemish Brabant.  Founded in the 12th century, the current structure dates to the second half of the 17th century.  The abbey was suppressed shortly after the French Revolution but re-established in 1834.  It's built of sandstone using a combination of Baroque, Gothic, and Renaissance styles.  

Get a unique perspective of one of the most famous monasteries in Italy in this excellent first person view (FPV) drone video by AirVuz contributor and FPV pilot palodanieliph.  Farfa Abbey is a monastery of the Benedictine Order in the commune of Fara in Sabina, about a 45 minute drive north of Rome in Rieti, one of the provinces which make up the west-central region of Lazio.  Founded in the 4th century AD (prior to the fall of the Roman Empire), the current structure was completed in the 10th century.