The filming story

In the climax of For Your Eyes Only, Roger Moore’s James Bond must scale a sheer rock face to reach the monastery where villain Kristatos (Julian Glover) has retreated with the ATAC missile targeting system. The Holy Trinity Monastery (Agia Triada) — one of six monasteries still active atop the dramatic rock pillars of Meteora — was chosen after director John Glen scouted locations across southern Europe. Its 400-metre pillar, previously accessible only by rope-and-basket, perfectly embodied the idea of an unreachable fortress.

The actual rock-climbing sequence involved both Roger Moore and a stunt double; Moore himself performed some of the lower sections. The Meteora plateau had only recently (1978) gained a road to its monasteries. The film crew was among the first large-scale productions to use the location. Filming took place in 1980 in the Kalambaka region.

The film’s release is widely credited within the Greek tourism industry with establishing Meteora as an international destination. Within a decade, visitor numbers grew substantially; Meteora became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988, seven years after the film’s release. The monasteries themselves remain active Orthodox communities — monks still live in several of them — and access for visitors is controlled out of respect for religious life.