Mount Athos (Greek: Όρος Άθως) is a mountain and a peninsula in Macedonia, northern Greece, called Άγιο Όρος (Ayio Oros or Ayion Oros or "Holy Mountain") in Modern Greek, or Ἅγιον Ὄρος (Hagion Oros) in Classical Greek. In Classical times, the peninsula was called Acte or Akte. This World Heritage Site is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries and forms an autonomous state under Greek sovereignty. Only monks are allowed to live on Athos and the current population numbers around 1,400. The peninsula, the easternmost "leg" of the larger Chalkidiki peninsula, protrudes into the Aegean Sea for some 60 km at a width between 7 to 12 km and covers an area of about 390 km², with the actual Mount Athos and its steep, densely forested slopes reaching up to 2,033 m.The seas around the end of the peninsula can be dangerous.

History

Herodotus tells us that Pelasgians from the island of Lemnos populated the peninsula, then called Acte or Akte. (Herodotus, VII:22) Strabo reports of five cities on the peninsula: Dion (Dium), Cleonae (Kleonai), Thyssos (Thyssus), Olophyxos (Olophyxis), Acrothoï (Akrothoön), of which the last is near the crest. (Strabo, Geography, VII:33:1) Eretria also established colonies on Acte. Two other cities were established in the Classical period: Acanthus (Akanthos) and Sane. Some of these cities minted their own coins. The peninsula was on the invasion route of Xerxes I, who had a channel excavated across the isthmus to allow the passage of his invasion fleet in 483 BC. After the death of Alexander the Great, the sculptor Deinocrates (Deinokrates) proposed to carve the entire mountain into a statue of Alexander.

An ancient story claims the Blessed Virgin Mary was sailing accompanied by St John the Evangelist on her way from Joppa to Cyprus to visit Lazarus. When the ship was blown off course to then pagan Athos it was forced to drop anchor near the port of Klement, close to the present monastery of Iviron. The Virgin walked ashore and, overwhelmed by the wonderful and wild natural beauty of the mountain, she blessed it and asked her Son for it to be her garden. A voice was heard; "let this place be your inheritance and your garden, a paradise and a haven of salvation for those seeking to be saved". Since that moment the mountain was consecrated as the garden of the Mother of God and was out of bounds to all other women.

Historical documents on ancient Mount Athos history are very few. We are sure that monks were already there since the 4th century AD, or possibly since the 3rd. During Constantine the Great reign (324-337) both Christians and pagans were living there. During Julian the Offender (361-363) the churches of Mount Athos were destroyed and Christians were hidden in the woods and inaccessible places. Later, during Theodossius the Great reign (383-395) the pagan temples were destroyed. The "lexicon-grapher" Esychios the Alexandrian states that on the 5th century there was still a temple and a statue of "Zeus Athonite". After the invasion of Arabs in Egypt (7th century), many monks from the Egyptian desert tried to find another calm place and some of them came and were established on Athos peninsula. An ancient document states that monks "..built huts of small wood and with roof of straw (..) and by collecting fruits from the wild trees were offering to themselves improvise meals.."

Theophanis the Confessor (end of 8th century) and George Kedrinos (11th century) write that the erruption of Thera (Santorini) volcano on 726 was visible from Mount Athos, and this proves that on that time there were inhabitants on it. Historian Genesios says that at the 7th Ecumenical Synod of Nicaea (843 AD) monks from Athos were participating. Around 860 AD the famous monk Efthymios the New comes to Athos and a number of monk-huts ("skiti of Saint Basil") are created around his place possibly near Krya Nera. During the reign of emperor Basil I the "Macedonian", the former Archbishop of Crete (and later of Thessaloniki) Basil the Confessor builds a small monastery on the place where today is the harbour ("arsanas") of Chelandariou Monastery. Soon after this, Ioannis Kolovos builds a monastery at Megali Vigla, stated on a document of 883 AD. On a "gold-sealed" royal decree of emperor Basil I dated on 885 AD, Holy Mountain is declared as a place of monks, and no laymen or farmers or cattle-breaders are allowed to be settled there. On the next year, in a royal edict of emperor Leon IV (the Wise) we read about

In 958 monk Athanasios arrives on Mount Athos. On 962 the big central church of "Protaton" in Karies is built and next year the monastery of Great Lavra is founded.

Although the first privileges to monastic communities on Mt. Athos were granted as early as 855 in a chrysobull by Emperor Basil I, conventially we accept as formal "foundation year" of the monastic community of Mount Athos the year 963, when the monk Athanasios, with the support of his friend, Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, established the monastery of Great Lavra, still the largest and most prominent of the 20 monasteries existing today. It enjoyed the protection of the emperors of the Byzantine Empire during the following centuries and its wealth and possessions grew considerably. The Fourth Crusade in the 13th century brought new Roman Catholic overlords which forced the monks to seek protection from Pope Innocent III, until the restoration of the Byzantine Empire. It was raided by Catalan mercenaries in the 14th century, a century that also saw the theological conflict over the hesychasm practised on Mount Athos and defended by Gregory Palamas.

The Byzantine Empire collapsed in the 15th century and the newly established Islamic Ottoman Empire took over in 1430. They heavily taxed the monasteries, but for the most part left them alone. The population of monks and their wealth declined over the next centuries, but were revitalised around the 19th century by the donations and new arrivals from other Eastern Orthodox countries, such as Russia, Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia and each country came to exert its influence on individual monasteries. In 1912, during the First Balkan War, the Ottomans were forced out by the Greek Navy, and after a brief conflict between Greece and Russia over sovereignty, the peninsula formally came under Greek sovereignty after World War I.

The Holy Mountain is governed by the "Holy Community" (Iera Kinotita) which consists of the representatives of the 20 Holy Monasteries, having as executive committee the four-membered "Holy Administration" (Iera Epistassia), with the "First" (Protos) being the head of it. Civil authorities are represented by the Civil Governor, appointed by the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, whose main duty is to supervise the function of the institutions and the public order. Spiritually, Mount Athos comes under the direct jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

In each of the 20 monasteries - which today all follow the coenobitic system - the administration is in the hands of the "Abbot" (Igoumenos) who is elected by the brotherhood for life. He is the lord and spiritual father of the monastery. The Convention of the brotherhood is the legislative body. All the other establishments (cloisters, cells, huts, retreats, hermitages) are dependencies of some of the 20 monasteries and are assigned to the monks by a document called "homologo".

Beyond the monasteries there are 12 "sketae", smaller communities of monks, as well as many (solitary) hermitages throughout the peninsula. All persons leading a monastic life thereon acquire Greek citizenship without further formalities, upon admission as novices or monks. Visits to the

In order to reduce sexual temptation, women are completely barred from the peninsula, a fact which has earned a certain amount of fame; even female domestic animals (with the exception, some say, of cats, as well as chickens which lay eggs that provide the fresh egg yolk needed for the paint used in iconography) are forbidden. However, during the Greek Civil War, Athos did shelter refugees including women and girls.

Traditional hospitality is the most touching and perhaps, today, the hardest task of the monks, because of the increasing number of pilgrims in recent years. The hospitality demand often exceeds the honest intention of the monks and the capabilities of a monastery. So it is better, before starting for a specific monastery, to confirm by a phone-call that the monastery is in a position to accommodate you. The visitor resides in the guesthouse (archondariki), and has to respect and follow the monastery's program: praying (services in church or in private), common dining, working (according to the duties of each monk) and rest. If you are on a special diet or fasting or if you want to receive the holy communion (for Orthodox Christians only) please let the guest-master (archondaris) know it in time. During religious celebrations there are usually long vigils and the entire program of the day is radically reshaped. You should ask on arrival about the day (and night) schedule. The gate of the monasteries closes by sunset and opens again by sunrise.

Monastic life in the "cells" is totally different. Some of them resemble a tidy farmhouse, others are poor huts, others have the gentility of Byzantine tradition or of Russian architecture of the past century. The monk of a cell, having to take care of every life's worry, makes up his program by himself. For the visitor, it is worth experiencing also this side of monastic life, but most of the cells have very little or not at all capacity for hospitality.

Of the 20 monasteries located on the Holy Mountain, 17 are Greek and the other 3 belong to other Orthodox nationalities: the Chelandariou Monastery is Serbian, the Zografou Monastery is Bulgarian and the Aghiou Panteleimonos Monastery is Russian. Among the 12 cloisters, two are Romanian, the coenobitic "Skiti Timiou Prodromou" (which belongs to the Monastery Meghistis Lavras) and the idiorythmic "Skiti Aghiou Dimitriou tou Lakou", also called "Lakoskiti" (which belongs to the Aghiou Pavlou Monastery) and another one is Bulgarian, "Skiti Vogoroditsa" (which belongs to the Aghiou Panteleimonos Monastery).

The architectural structure of the monasteries and the coenobitic cloisters consists of a cluster of sequential high buildings, which enclose an inner courtyard. These buildings were also a defensive shield and give the monasteries of Athos peninsula their characteristic castle-like appearance. There are also towers with embrasures. The portal is usually tunnel-shaped for defence purposes, and is closed by heavy iron-sheeted wooden gates. Outside and near the main entrance, there is usually a roomy kiosk with a great view. Near the centre of the paved interior courtyard is the most important part of the monastery, the central church that is called "katholikon", and opposite, to the west, there is the refectory, called "trapeza". Other basic parts of a monastery are the Assembly room and the administration offices, the guesthouse, the monks' quarters, the library, the sacristy. In front of the west entrance of the main church, there exists "Fiali", an ornate marble washstand containing holy water. Within the courtyard, there is a fountain with fresh water. Little chapels are interspersed at various points of the monastery.

The "katholikon" of the Holy Mountain is a cross-shaped building, which, besides the niche of the sanctum, possesses two additional wide niches to the north and south for the choristers. Four pillars support the high central dome. To the west side of the church, between the narthex and the outer peristyle, another room has been added, called "liti", where the "liti" service is performed.

Each monastery or cloister has a small harbour so as to receive supplies by sea. It is called "arsanas" (actually coming from the latin word "arsenal") and is often fortified by a strong, high tower.

Inside the churches, icon-stands, sacristies and libraries of the monasteries and cloisters, relics and treasures of inestimable value are kept, of devotional, artistic, historical or national importance and for the pilgrims most of them are difficult to access for security purposes.

Upon your arrival at a monastery, you may ask the guest-master if and when you may see and genuflect the relics and miraculous icons and if you may receive a kind of guided tour and information about the history of the monastery. Of course, when you pass from Karies, do not omit to visit the old church of "Protaton" with its exceptional murals and to genuflect the miraculous holy icon of Virgin Mary, called "Axion Esti", which is the household icon of the patron saint of the Holy Mountain.

In modern times, the Mount Athos monasteries have repeatedly been struck by wildfires, e.g. in August 1990, and in March 2004, fire gutted a large section of the Serbian monastary, Hilandar. Due to the secluded locations of the monasteries, often atop small hills, as well as the unavailability of suitable fire fighting gear, the damages inflicted by these fires are often considerable.

On September 12, 2004, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria, Peter VII, was killed, together with 16 others, in a helicopter crash in the Aegean Sea off the peninsula. The Patriarch was heading to Mount Athos.

Languages

Greek is commonly used in all Greek monasteries, but in some monasteries there are other languages in use, in St Panteleimonos Russian (35 monks), in Iviron Georgian (53 monks), in Hilandar Serbian (46), in Zographou Bulgarian (15), and in the sketae of Prodromos and Lacu Romanian (64). Today, many of the Greek monks can speak English.

Contemplated postage stamp issue

In the winter of 1915 - 1916 the allied forces were considering occupation of the holy mountain. In anticipation of this they prepared a set of stamps which were intended for issue on the 25 January 1916 for the use of the Governing body of the Monastic Republic.

These stamps were produced in sheets of 12, (3 rows of 4), on board the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal. Six values were produced, ranging up to one shilling, and all were printed in black but on various different paper types.

The design of these stamps consisted of a square border with the name MOUNT ATHOS at the bottom in English, the left in Russian and on the right in Greek. At the top was in inscribed THEOCRACY. The denomination appeared at each corner with the English in the lower corners, Greek in the top left and Russian in the top right. The inner section showed a double headed Byzantine eagle with the effigy of the Madonna and child in an oval on its breast.

These stamps have no official status but fall into the category of prepared for use but not issued.

Two points of interest arise with these stamps:

They are the only issue to bear the currency and alphabets of three different languages.

They are the only issue to be produced on a warship in a time of war.

Art treasures

The Athonian monasteries possess huge deposits of invaluable medieval art treasures, including icons, liturgical vestments and objects (crosses, chalices), codices and other Christian texts, imperial chrysobulls, holy relics etc. Until recently no organized study and archiving had been carried out, but lately a European Union-funded effort to catalogue, protect and restore them is under way.

Literature

• The 6,000 Beards of Mount Athos ISBN 0-85955-251-9 by Ralph H. Brewster. A guide to the peninsula, first published in 1935, detailing the landscape, monasteries, skites, and the life of the inhabitants, including customs and more not usually discussed.
• Mount Athos ISBN 960-213-075-X by Sotiris Kadas. An illustrated guide to the monasteries and their history (Athens 1998). With many illustrations of the Byzantine art treasures on Mount Athos.
• Athos The Holy Mountain by Sydney Loch. Published 1957 & 1971 (Librairie Molho, Thessaloniki). Loch spent most of his life in the Byzantine tower at Ouranopolis, close to Athos, and describes his numerous visits to the Holy Mountain. A fascinating travelogue. The famous Molho Bookstore in Thessaloniki may have a few copies left.
• Dare to be Free ISBN 0330106295 by Walter Babington Thomas. Offers insights into the lives of the monks of Mt Athos during WWII, from the point of view of an escaped POW who spent a year on the peninsula evading capture.
• Blue Guide: Greece (ISBN 0393303721), pp. 600-03. Offers history and tourist information.

The twenty self-governing monasteries

1. Megísti Lávra
2. Vatopédi
3. Iviron
4. Chilandariou
5. Dionysiou
6. Koutloumousiou
7. Pandokratoros
8. Xiropotamou
9. Zografou
10. Dochiariou
11. Karakalou
12. Philotheou
13. Simonos Petras
14. Agiou Pavlou
15. Stavronikita
16. Xenofondos
17. Osiou Grigoriou
18. Esfigmenou
19. Agiou Panteleimonos
20. Konstamonitou

Athos Άγιο Όρος Monte Athos Mont Athos Monte Athos Athos Repubblica di Monte Athos Athos (schiereiland) Athos Monte Athos Muntele Athos Athos Афон Света Гора Athos Афон 聖山