Between a rock and a hard place: The Holy Trinity is part of the Meteora - which translates as 'suspended in the air' - complex of monasteries in Greece, one of the largest collections of such buildings in the country
Many were only accessible by steep and secret paths in order to provide the most seclusion as they sought uninterrupted spiritual awakening.
By far the most precarious is a monastery that dangles seemingly in defiance of the laws of physics on the side of Mt Huashan in China.
Located around 75 miles east from Xi'an City of Shaanxi Province, Mt Huashan is known as 'The number one precipitous mountain under Heaven'. It is one of the five sacred mountains in China.
It is home to several influential Taoist temples where emperors of past dynasties made pilgrimages, making Mt Huashan the holy land of Taoism.