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Mount Athos Ἄθως / Ἅγιον Ὄρος | |
|---|---|
 Gregoriou Monastery, one of the 20 monasteries on Mount Athos | |
 Map of Greece: to the east ofChalkidiki, inred, the Athos peninsula is visible. (Location of Mount Athos within Greece) | |
| Sovereign state |  Greece |
| Capital | Karyes |
| Official languages | Greek |
| Common languages | |
| Demonym(s) |
|
| Government | Monastic community |
| Bartholomew I | |
• Protepistate | Elder Stephanos of Hilandar[1] |
| Alkiviadis Stefanis[2] | |
| Area | |
• Total | 336 km2 (130 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 2,033 m (6,670 ft) |
| Population | |
• 2021 estimate | 1,746[3] |
| Currency | Euro (€) (EUR) |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (
|
• Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) |
| Date format | dd.mm.yyyy |
| Driving side | Right |
| Calling code | +30 2377 |
| ISO 3166 code | GR-69 |
Themonastic community of Mount Athos is anEastern Orthodox community ofmonks living on theMount Athos peninsula inNorthern Greece.
The monastic community enjoys autonomous self-government within the borders of the Athos peninsula. TheGreek Ministry of Foreign Affairs manages relations between Athos and the Government of Greece. The community includes 20monasteries and dependent settlements. The monasteries house around 2,000 Eastern Orthodox monks from Greece and many other countries, including Eastern Orthodox countries such asSerbia,Romania,Moldova,Georgia,Bulgaria,Montenegro,Ukraine andRussia, who vow to live anascetic life at Athos, isolated from the rest of the world. The Athonite monasteries feature a rich collection of well-preserved artifacts, rare books, ancient documents, andartworks of immense historical value, and Mount Athos has been listed as aWorld Heritage Site since 1988.[4]
Women are banned from Mount Athos by religious tradition.[5]
According to theconstitution of Greece, the territory of the monastic community which is "[t]he Athos peninsula extending beyond Megali Vigla and constituting the region of Aghion Oros" is, "following ancient privilege", "a self-governed part of the Greek State, whose sovereignty thereon shall remain intact". The constitution also states that "[a]ll persons leading a monastic life thereon acquire Greek citizenship without further formalities, upon admission as novices or monks." The constitution states "[h]eterodox orschismatic persons" are forbidden to stay on the territory. The community consists of 20 main monasteries which constitute the Holy Community.[6]Karyes is home to acivil administrator as the representative of the Greek state. The governor is an executive appointee.
Although Mount Athos is legally part of theEuropean Union like the rest of Greece, the monastic community institutions have a special jurisdiction, which was reaffirmed during the admission of Greece to theEuropean Community (precursor to the European Union).[7] This empowers the monastic community's authorities to restrict thefree movement of people andgoods in its territory; in particular, only men are allowed to enter.[8]
The border of the monastic community and the municipality ofAristotelis, is separated by a fence about 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) in length.Karyes is the administrative center and the seat of thesynod and the civil administration.
Civil authorities are represented by theCivil Administrator of Mount Athos, appointed by presidential decree on recommendation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He supervises the function of the institutions and the public order.[9]
The monasteries of the monastic community arestauropegic, i.e. they are exempt from the authority of thelocal bishop and only report to theEcumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.[9] The monastic community is under the direct jurisdiction of theEcumenical Patriarch of ConstantinopleBartholomew I.[citation needed]
Each of the 20 monasteries is administered by anarchimandrite elected by the monks for life.[citation needed] The Convention of the Brotherhood (Γεροντία,Gerontía) is the legislative body. Each of the other establishments (sketes, cells, huts, retreats, andhermitages) is a dependency of one of the 20 monasteries and is assigned to the monks by a document calledomologon (ομόλογον).[10]
All persons leading a monastic life in the monastic community receiveGreek citizenship upon admission asnovices or monks. Laymen can visit the monastic community, but they need a special permit known as adiamonitirion (διαμονητήριον).
In 17 of the monasteries, the monks are predominantly ethnic Greek. TheHelandariou Monastery is Serbian and Montenegrin, theZografou Monastery is Bulgarian, and theAgiou Panteleimonos monastery is Russian.
Most of thesketes are also predominantly ethnic Greek; however, two sketes are Romanian. They are thecoenobitic "Skētē Timiou Prodromou" (underMegistis Lavras Monastery) and theidiorrhythmic "Skētē Agiou Dēmētriou tou Lakkou", also called "Lakkoskētē" (under to theAgiou Pavlou monastery). A third skete is Bulgarian, the coenobitic "Skētē Bogoroditsa"[11] (under theAgiou Panteleimonos monastery).
TheGreek language is commonly used in all the Greek monasteries, but in some monasteries there are other languages in use: in Agiou Panteleimonos,Russian (67 monks in 2011); inHilandar Monastery,Serbian (58); inZographou Monastery andSkiti Bogoroditsa,Bulgarian (32); and inTimiou Prodromou andLakkoskiti,Romanian (64).[12]
The chroniclersTheophanes the Confessor (end of 8th century) andGeorgios Kedrenos (11th century) wrote that the 726 eruption of theThera volcano was visible from Mount Athos, indicating that it was inhabited at the time. The historianGenesios recorded that monks from Athos participated in theseventh Ecumenical Council of Nicaea of 787. Following theBattle of Thasos in 829, Athos was deserted for some time due to the destructive raids of theCretan Saracens. Around 860, the monkEuthymios the Younger came to Athos fromBithynia.[13]
In 958, the monkAthanasios the Athonite (Άγιος Αθανάσιος ο Αθωνίτης) arrived on Mount Athos. In 962, he built the large central church of theProtaton inKaryes. In the next year, with the support of his friend EmperorNicephorus Phocas, the monastery ofGreat Lavra was founded, still the largest and most prominent of the twenty monasteries existing today. During the following centuries, it enjoyed the protection of theByzantine emperors, and its wealth and possessions grew considerably.[14]Alexios I Komnenos, emperor from 1081 to 1118, gave Mount Athos complete autonomy from theEcumenical Patriarch and the Bishop ofIerissos, and also exempted the monasteries from taxation. Furthermore, until 1312, theProtos of Karyes was directly appointed by the Byzantine Emperor.[15]
The first charter of Mount Athos, signed in 972 by EmperorJohn Tzimiskes,Athanasius the Athonite, and 46hegumenoi, is currently kept at theProtaton inKaryes. It is also known as theTragos ('goat'), since it was written on goatskin parchment.[16] The second charter ortypikon of Mount Athos was written in September 1045 and signed by 180hegumenoi. EmperorConstantine IX Monomachos ratified the typikon with an imperialchrysobull in June 1046. This charter was also the first official document that referred to Mount Athos as the "Holy Mountain".[15]
From 985 to 1287,[17] there was aBenedictinemonastery on Mount Athos (between Magisti Lavra and Philotheou Karakallou)[18] known asAmalphion after the people ofAmalfi who founded it.[19] The monastery was founded with the support ofJohn the Iberian, a Georgian and the founder of theIviron Monastery, and is thought to have influenced Latin Christian monasticism and piety.[17]
TheFourth Crusade in the 13th century brought new Roman Catholic overlords, which forced the monks to complain and ask for the intervention ofPope Innocent III until the restoration of the Byzantine Empire. The peninsula was raided byCatalan mercenaries in the 14th century in the so-calledCatalan vengeance, due to which the entry of people ofCatalan origin was prohibited until 2005. The 14th century also saw the theological conflict over thehesychasm practised on Mount Athos and defended byGregory Palamas (Άγιος Γρηγόριος ο Παλαμάς). In late 1371 or early 1372, the Byzantines defeated an Ottoman attack on Athos.[14]
Serbian lords of theNemanjić dynasty offered financial support to the monasteries of Mount Athos, while some of them also made pilgrimages and became monks there.Stefan Nemanja helped build theHilandar monastery on Mount Athos together with his son ArchbishopSaint Sava in 1198.[20][21]
From 1342 until 1372, Mount Athos was under Serbian administration.Serbian EmperorStefan Dušan helped Mount Athos with many large donations to all monasteries. In the charter of emperor Stefan Dušan to the Monastery of Hilandar[22] the Emperor gave to the monasteryHilandar direct rule over many villages and churches, including the church ofSvetog Nikole u Dobrušti inPrizren, the church ofSvetih Arhanđela inŠtip, the Church of Svetog Nikole inVranje and surrounding lands and possessions. He also gave large possessions and donations to the Karyes Hermitage of St. Sabas and the Holy Archangels in Jerusalem.[23]Empress Helena, wife of the EmperorStefan Dušan, was among the very few women allowed to visit and stay in Mount Athos, to protect her from theplague.[24][full citation needed]She avoided breaking the ban against a woman setting foot on the mountain by not touching the ground for her entire visit, being constantly carried in alitter.[25]
Thanks to the donations by Dušan, theSerbian monastery ofHilandar was enlarged to more than 10,000 hectares, thus having the largest possessions on Mount Athos among other monasteries, and occupying 1/3 of the area. Serbian noblemanAntonije Bagaš, together withNikola Radonja, bought and restored the ruinedAgiou Pavlou monastery between 1355 and 1365, becoming its abbot.[26]
The time of theSerbian Empire was a prosperous period for Hilandar and other monasteries in Mount Athos, and many of them were restored, rebuilt, and significantly enlarged.[24][full citation needed]
Serbian princessMara Branković was the second Serbian woman that was granted permission to visit the area. At the end of the 15th century, five monasteries on Mount Athos had Serbian monks and were under the Serbian Prior: Docheiariou, Grigoriou, Ayiou Pavlou, Ayiou Dionysiou and Hilandar[27]
The Byzantine Empire ceased to exist in the 15th century, and theOttoman Empire took its place.[28]
From the account of the Russian pilgrim Isaiah, by the end of the 15th century, monasteries in Mount Athos represented monastic communities from large and diverse parts of the Balkans.[29] Other monasteries listed by him bear no such designations; in particular,Docheiariou,Grigoriou,Ayiou Pavlou,Ayiou Dionysiou, andChilandariou were Serbian;Karakalou andPhilotheou were Albanian;Panteleïmon was Russian;Simonopetra was Bulgarian;Great Lavra,Vatopedi,Pantokratoros andStavronikita were Greek; andZographou, Kastamonitou, Xeropotamou, Koutloumousiou, Xenophontos,Iviron and Protaton did not bear any designation.[29]
Sultan Selim I was a substantial benefactor of theXeropotamou monastery. In 1517, he issued afatwa and aHatt-i Sharif ("noble edict") that "the place, where the Holy Gospel is preached, whenever it is burned or even damaged, shall be erected again". He also endowed privileges to the Abbey and financed the construction of the dining area and the underground of the Abbey, as well as the renovation of the wall paintings in the central church that were completed between the years 1533 and 1541.[30]
This new way of monastic organization was an emergency measure taken by the monastic communities to counter their harsh economic environment. Contrary to thecenobitic system, monks in idiorrhythmic communities have private property and work for themselves, bearing sole responsibility for acquiring food and other necessities; they dine separately in their cells, only meeting with other monks at church. At the same time, the monasteries'abbots were replaced by committees, and at Karyes the Protos was replaced by a four-member committee.[31]
In 1749, with the establishment of theAthonite Academy near Vatopedi monastery, the localmonastic community took a leading role in themodern Greek Enlightenment movement of the 18th century.[32] This institution offered high level education, especially underEugenios Voulgaris, where ancient philosophy and modern physical science were taught.[33]
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In modern times after the end of Ottoman rule newSerbian kings from theObrenović dynasty andKarađorđević dynasty and the new bourgeois class resumed their support of Mount Athos.[34]
In November 1912, during theFirst Balkan War, the Ottomans were forced out by theGreek Navy.[35]
In June 1913, a small Russian fleet, consisting of the gunboatDonets and the transport shipsTsar andKherson, delivered the archbishop ofVologda, and a number of troops to Mount Athos to intervene in the theological controversy overimiaslavie (a Russian Orthodox movement).
Maryse Choisy entered the monastic community in the 1920s disguised as a sailor. She later wrote about her escapade inUn mois chez les hommes (A Month with Men).[36] In the 1930s,Aliki Diplarakou dressed as a man and snuck into the monastic community. Her stunt was discussed in a 13 July 1953Time magazine article entitled "The Climax of Sin".[37]
A monk named Mihailo Tolotos is claimed to have lived in the monastic community fromc. 1855–1856 to 1938. On October 29, 1938, the American community newspaperEdinburg Daily Courier ofEdinburg, Indiana reported that Tolotos had died at the age of 82. Reportedly, Tolotos had never seen a woman in his life, his mother having died in childbirth and he was brought up in the monastery by the monks.[38] His 1938 death was again mentioned in January 7, 1949, edition ofRaleigh Register in an Nixon Furniture Company advertisement, saying he lived a secluded life in the monastery, suggesting he may have never left the monastery.[39]
Following the outbreak of World War II,Time magazine described during theGerman invasion of Greece in 1941 a bombing attack near the monastic community, "The Stukas swooped across the Aegean skies like dark, dreadful birds, but they dropped no bombs on the monks of Mount Athos".[40] During the German occupation of Greece, the Epistassia formally askedAdolf Hitler to place the monastic community under his personal protection. Hitler agreed and received the title "High Protector of the Holy Mountain" (German:Hoher Protektor des heiligen Berges) from the monks. The monastic community was able to avoid significant damage during the war.[41][better source needed]
After the war, a Special Double Assembly passed the constitutional charter of the monastic community, which was then ratified by theGreek Parliament.
In 1953, Cora Miller, an AmericanFulbright Program teacher, landed briefly along with two other women, stirring up a controversy among the local monks.[42]The monasteries of Mount Athos have a history of opposingecumenism, or movements towards reconciliation between theOrthodox Church of Constantinople and theCatholic Church. TheEsphigmenou monastery is particularly outspoken in this respect, having raised black flags to protest against the meeting ofPatriarch Athenagoras I of Constantinople andPope Paul VI in 1972. Esphigmenou was subsequently expelled from the representative bodies of the Athonite Community. The conflict escalated in 2002 withPatriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople declaring the monks of Esphigmenou an illegal brotherhood and ordering their eviction; the monks refused to be evicted, and the Patriarch ordered a new brotherhood to replace them.[citation needed]
The monasteries also have opposed ecumenism between the Orthodox Church of Constantinople andOriental Orthodox Churches. Following theFirst[43] andSecond[44]Agreed Statements published by the Joint Commission of the Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches in 1989 and 1990 respectively, and the subsequentProposals for Lifting Anathemas[45] in 1993, a committee formed by the monasteries published a responding memorandum expressing their condemnation of what they perceived to be an imminent false union with "the Non-Chalcedonians".[46]After the dissolution of theYugoslav Communist regime andSocialist Yugoslavia manypresidents andprime ministers of Serbia visited Mount Athos.[47]
A 2003 resolution of theEuropean Parliament requested the lifting of the ban on women and girls for violating "the universally recognised principle of gender equality".[48]
On 26 May 2008, fiveMoldovans illegally entered Greece by way of Turkey, ending up in the monastic community. Four of these migrants were women. The monks forgave them for trespassing and informed them that the area was forbidden to females.[49]
In 2008 a group of Greek women contravened the 1,000-year ban on females on the mount during a protest after five monasteries laid claim to 8,100 hectares (20,000 acres) of land on the nearby Chalkidiki peninsula. About ten women jumped over the border fence and spent about 20 minutes on the monastery territory, being joined by Greek MPLitsa Ammanatidou-Paschalidou.[50]
In 2018, the monastic community became an issue inGreece-Russia relations when the Greek government denied entry to Russian clerics headed for the monastic community. The media reported allegations that theRussian Federation was using the monastic community as a base for intelligence operations in Greece.[51] In October 2018, theMoscow Patriarchatebroke communion with the Ecumenical Patriarchate and banned its adherents from visiting sites controlled byPatriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, including the monastic community, in retaliation for his decision to grantautocephaly to theOrthodox Church of Ukraine.[52][53][54]
In the context of theRussian invasion of Ukraine andrelated sanctions, in 2022 the money-laundering authority of Greece launched an investigation into the suspicious transfer of large funds from Russia to Russia-friendly monasteries and monks at Mount Athos. Several senior Russian officials had visited Mount Athos in the preceding months.[55]
After reaching a low point of just 1,145 mainly elderly monks in 1971, the monasteries have been undergoing a steady and sustained renewal. By the year 2000, the monastic population had reached 1,610, with all 20 monasteries and their associatedsketes receiving an infusion of mainly young, well-educated monks. In 2009, the population stood at nearly 2,000.[56] Many younger monks possess university education and advanced skills that allow them to work on the cataloging and restoration of the Mountain's vast repository ofmanuscripts, vestments, icons,liturgical objects and other works of art, most of which remain unknown to the public because of their sheer volume. Projected to take several decades to complete, this restorative and archival work is funded byUNESCO and theEU, and aided by many academic institutions.
A pilgrim/visitor to a monastery who is accommodated in thearchontariki [ru] (αρχονταρίκι) or guesthouse can follow its daily schedule: praying (services in church or in private), common dining, working (according to the duties of each monk) and rest. During religious celebrations, long vigils are typically held and the daily program is dramatically altered. The gate of the monastery closes by sunset and opens again by sunrise.
Many of the monasteries are dedicated to the Virgin Mary.Vatopedi andPhilotheou are dedicated to theAnnunciation,Agiou Pavlou to thePurification,Hilandar to thePresentation, andIviron to theDormition.[57]: 26–27
Acell is a house with a small church where 1–3 monks live under the supervision of a monastery. Usually, each cell possesses a piece of land for agricultural or other use. Each cell has to organize some activities for income.
Small communities of neighbouring cells have developed since the beginning of monastic life in the monastic community, some of which using the word "skete" (σκήτη) meaning "monastic settlement" or "lavra" (λαύρα) meaning "monastic congregation". The word "skete" is ofCoptic origin and in its original form is a placename of a location in the Egyptian desert known today asScetis.[58]
The sovereign monasteries, in the order of their place in the Athonite hierarchy:
| Great Lavra Monastery | Vatopedi Monastery | Iviron Monastery | Helandariou Monastery | Dionysiou Monastery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Μεγίστη Λαύρα | Βατοπέδι | Ιβήρων | Χιλανδαρίου Хиландар (Serbian) | Διονυσίου |
 |  |  |  |  |
| Koutloumousiou Monastery | Pantokratoros Monastery | Xeropotamou Monastery | Zografou Monastery | Docheiariou Monastery |
| Κουτλουμούσι | Παντοκράτορος | Ξηροποτάμου | Ζωγράφου Зограф (Bulgarian) | Δοχειαρίου |
 |  |  |  |  |
| Karakalou Monastery | Filotheou Monastery | Simonos Petras Monastery | Agiou Pavlou Monastery | Stavronikita Monastery |
| Καρακάλλου | Φιλοθέου | Σίμωνος Πέτρα | Αγίου Παύλου | Σταυρονικήτα |
 |  |  |  | |
| Xenophontos Monastery | Osiou Grigoriou Monastery | Esphigmenou Monastery | Agiou Panteleimonos Monastery | Konstamonitou Monastery |
| Ξενοφώντος | Οσίου Γρηγορίου | Εσφιγμένου | Αγίου Παντελεήμονος Пантелеймонов (Russian) | Κωνσταμονίτου |
 |  |  |  |  |
Papazôtos (1988) lists the following former 11th-century monasteries at Mount Athos, most of which are located northwest ofKaryes.[59]
| English name | Greek name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Monastery of Voroskopou | μονή τοῦ ἁγίου Συμεών τοῦ Βοροσκόπου | on the northwestern coast, west ofEsphigmenou Monastery |
| Monastery of Agios Panteleimonos of Thessaloniki | μονή τοῦ ἁγίου Παντελεήμονος τοῦ Θεσσαλονικέως | site of the current Paleomonastiro; southeast ofEvangelismou Skete of Xenophontos |
| Monastery of Kaletzi | μονή τοῦ Καλέντζη | east ofVatopedi; present-day Kolitsou (Κολιτσού) |
| Monastery of Kalyka | μονή τοῦ Σωτῆρος Χριστοῦ τοῦ Κάλυκα | on the northwestern coast, west ofEsphigmenou Monastery; just west of Voroskopou |
| Monastery of Katzari | μονή τοῦ Σωτῆρος Χριστοῦ τοῦ Κατζάρη | east ofEvangelismou Skete of Xenophontos |
| Monastery of Xylourgou | μονή τῆς Ὑπεραγίας Θεοτόκου τοῦ Ξυλουργού | southeast of Agios Dimitrios Skete (of Vatopedi); northwest ofPantokratoros Monastery |
| Monastery of Agios Prokopios | μονή τοῦ ἁγίου Προκοπίου | southwest of Agios Dimitrios Skete (of Vatopedi) |
| Monastery of Saravari | μονή τοῦ Σωτῆρος Χριστοῦ τοῦ Σαράβαρη | southeast ofKaryes, on the old route toIviron Monastery |
| Monastery of Trochala | μονή τοῦ Τρόχαλα | south of Agios Dimitrios Skete (of Vatopedi) |
| Monastery of Agios Hypatios | μονή τοῦ ἁγίου Ὑπατίου | northeast ofKonstamonitou Monastery |
| Monastery of Falakrou | μονή τοῦ Ἀσωμάτου τοῦ Φαλακροῦ | nearBogoroditsa Skete; present-day Faraklou (Φαρακλού) |
| Monastery of Agios Philippos | μονή τοῦ ἁγίου Φιλίππου | north of the Megali Giovanitsa port (arsanas) ofHilandar Monastery |
Other former monasteries includeAmalfinon Monastery, aLatin monastery, and the Monastery of Zelianos, a Slavic (Bulgarian) monastery located nearXenophontos Monastery andOld Rosiko [bg].[60]
Askete is a community of Christian hermits following a monastic rule, allowing them to worship in comparative solitude, while also affording them a level of mutual practical support and security. There are two kinds of sketes in Mount Athos. Acoenobitic skete follows the style of monasteries. Anidiorrhythmic skete follows the style of a small village: it has a common area of worship (a church), with individual hermitages or small houses around it, each one for a small number of occupants. The twelve main official sketes on Mount Athos are:
| Skete | Type | Monastery | Alternative names / notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agias Annas Αγίας Άννας | Idiorrhythmic | Megistis Lavras | (=Saint Anne) Agiánna |
| Agias Triados orKafsokalyvíon Αγίας Τριάδος ή Καυσοκαλυβίων | Idiorrhythmic | Megistis Lavras | (=Holy Trinity) Kafsokalývia (= "burned huts") |
| Timiou Prodromou Τιμίου Προδρόμου | Coenobitic | Megistis Lavras | (= Holy Fore-runner, i.e. StJohn the Baptist) Prodromu, Sfântul Ioan Botezătorul – Romanian |
| Agiou Andrea Αγίου Ανδρέα | Coenobitic | Vatopediou | (=Saint Andrew) Also known as Saray (Σαράι) |
| Skiti Agiou Dimitriou of Vatopedi [el] Αγίου Δημητρίου | Idiorrhythmic | Vatopediou | (=Saint Demetrius) Vatopediní |
| Skiti Timiou Prodromou of Iviron [el] Τιμίου Προδρόμου Ιβήρων | Idiorrhythmic | Iviron | (= Holy Forerunner, i.e. StJohn the Baptist) Ivirítiki |
| Agiou Panteleimonos Αγίου Παντελεήμονος | Idiorrhythmic | Koutloumousiou | (=Saint Panteleimon/Pantaleon) Koutloumousianí |
| Profiti Ilia Προφήτη Ηλία | Coenobitic | Pantokratoros | (= ProphetElijah) |
| Theotokou orNea Skiti Θεοτόκου ή Νέα Σκήτη | Idiorrhythmic | Agiou Pavlou | (= OfGod-Bearer or New Skete) |
| Agiou Dimitriou tou Lakkou orLakkoskiti Αγίου Δημητρίου του Λάκκου ή Λακκοσκήτη | Idiorrhythmic | Agiou Pavlou | (=Saint Demetrius of the Ravine or Ravine-Skete) Lacu, Sfântul Dumitru – Romanian |
| Evangelismou tis Theotokou Ευαγγελισμού της Θεοτόκου | Idiorrhythmic | Xenophontos | (= Annunciation ofTheotokos) Xenofontiní |
| Bogoroditsa Βογορόδιτσα | Coenobitic | Agiou Panteleimonos |
Other settlements and hermitages at Mount Athos that are sometimes referred to as "sketes" includeNea Tivaida [ru] (Νέα Θηβαΐδα; a Russian skete),Little St. Anne's Skete, and theSkete of St. Basil (Άγιος Βασίλειος; a Greek-speaking skete). However, none of them are officially considered to sketes by the administration of Mount Athos. Former sketes includeRosiko [bg] (Ρωσικό) andChourmitsa [bg] (Μετόχι Χουρμίτσας) (both Russian sketes).
The main settlements are:
Other smaller settlements are:
Daily visitors to Mount Athos are restricted to 100 lay Eastern Orthodox Christians and 10 non-Eastern Orthodox male pilgrims, and all are required to obtain a special entrance permit from the Mount Athos Pilgrims' Bureau called thediamonitirion (διαμονητήριον). Pilgrims pick up the permit from the Pilgrims' Bureau office inThessaloniki and then present it atOuranopoli orIerissos before boarding the ferry to Mount Athos. This permit is valid for three days unless a monastery requests permission to extend it, or if an extension application is submitted atKaryes. Eastern Orthodox clergy are required to obtain a special entrance permit from thePatriarchate of Constantinople. Only men are permitted to visit the territory, which is called the "Garden ofVirgin Mary" (Greek:Περιβόλι της Παναγιάς,romanized: Perivoli tis Panagias) by the monks.[61] Residents on the peninsula must be men aged 18 and over who are members of the Eastern Orthodox Church and also either monks or workers.[62] Until the year 2000, the monks of Mount Athos prohibited entry to anyCatalan citizens[clarification needed] due to the events sparked by theCatalan Company, a mercenary army, in the 14th century.[63]
Visitors from holy orders (Orthodox monks and clerics) must also seek written permission (evlogia[64]) from theEcumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople inIstanbul.[65]
There are two types of diamonitirions:
As part of measures to fight theCOVID-19 pandemic, visits to Mount Athos were suspended from 19 March 2020[67] until 11 May 2021.[68]
The monastic community bans women and female animals from entry in what is called anavaton (Άβατον). This intended to make living incelibacy easier for men who have chosen to do so.[69] The main goal is to ensure celibacy, but also because the Virgin Mary alone represents her gender on Mount Athos, which is dedicated to her glory.[70][71]
The ban was officially proclaimed by several emperors, includingConstantine Monomachos, in achrysobull of 1046.[72]
Female domestic animals such as cows or sheep are also barred, the only exception being cats due to their mousing abilities.[73]
As part of an EU member state, Mount Athos is part of the European Union and, for the most part, subject to EU law. While outside the EU'sValue Added Tax area, Mount Athos is within theSchengen Area. A declaration attached to Greece's accession treaty to theSchengen Agreement states that Mount Athos's "special status" should be taken into account in the application of the Schengen rules.[74] The monks strongly objected to Greece joining the Schengen Area based on fears that the EU would be able to end the centuries-old prohibition on the admittance of women. The prohibition is unchanged and a special permit is required to enter the peninsula. The monks were also concerned that the agreement could affect their traditional right to offer sanctuary to men from Orthodox countries such as Russia.[75] Such monks do nowadays need a Greek visa and permission to stay, even if that is given generously by the Greek ministry, based on requests from Athos.[76]
also called Euthymios of Thessalonike, saint; baptismal name Niketas; born village of Opso, Galatia 823/4
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)After the conquest of Constantinople in 1453, Byzantine political influence was effectively ended, but the prerogatives of the Greek Church remained and were amalgamated by the Sultans.
At the end of the 15th century, the Russian pilgrim Isaiah relates that the monks support themselves with various kinds of work including the cultivation of their vineyards....He also tells us that nearly half the monasteries are Slav or Albanian. As Serbian he instances Docheiariou, Grigoriou, Ayiou Pavlou, a monastery near Ayiou Pavlou and dedicated to St. John the Theologian (he no doubt means the monastery of Ayiou Dionysiou), and Chilandariou. Panteleïmon is Russian, Simonopetra is Bulgarian, and Karakallou and Philotheou are Albanian. Zographou, Kastamonitou (see fig. 58), Xeropotamou, Koutloumousiou, Xenophontos, Iveron and Protaton he mentions without any designation; while Lavra, Vatopedi (see fig. 59), Pantokratoros, and Stavronikita (which had been recently founded by the patriarch Jeremiah I) he names specifically as being Greek (see map 6).
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