On these sandstone cliffs of almost inaccessible peaks monks-hermits started settling as early as 11th century. In the course of centuries despite incredible difficulties a whole monastery complex was created on the pinnacles of the “columns of the sky”. Twenty-four of these monasteries were built in the 15th century at the time of the great revival of the eremetic ideal. The 16th-century frescoes, preserved in the monasteries, are remarkable examples of religious painting of the post-Byzantine epoch.