Άγιον Όρος | Mount Athos - The Holy Mount

Άγιον Όρος - Mount Athos - Berg Athos


Is the centre of Eastern Orthodox Monasticism. Set in an area of outstanding natural beauty, it is a treasury which houses and guards many artefacts and monuments of religions, national and artistic value. It is also a "workshop" where religions arts and crafts are still practised to this day, and where deep and genuine spirituality is allowed to flourish and bear fruit. As an institution Mount Athos is, and has been, the chief standard bearer of Orthodox Christianity.











Geography
The city of mount Athos is situated in the entire third, eastern and most beautiful peninsula of Halkidiki, called the peninsula of Athos. It is the only place in Greece, that is completely dedicated to prayer and worship of God.
For this reason, it is called the Holy Mount.
The Holy Mount is about 50 Km in length, 8 to 12 Km in width and it covers an area of about 350 square kilometres.
The borders of the monasterial city are defined on the ground by an imaginary line that starts from the location "FRAGOKASTRO" in the West coast and reaches the cape "ARAPIS" in the opposite end.
The natural beauty of the peninsula is extraordinary. The Mount Athos that dominates is a huge cone of 2.033 metres in height. It’s a naked, treeless crest that seems to lance the sky and its slopes are fully covered by ancient evergreens. All these help to create an area of incomparable natural beauty.



History

Mythology
According to mythology the name Athos belongs to a Thracian giant. During the conflict between the Gods and the Giants, Athos threw a huge rock against Poseidon (the God), but the rock slipped through his fingers and fell to the sea creating a huge block of land which is now Mount Athos.
In a different version it was Poseidon who threw the rock against Athos. The rock crushed Athos and burried him underneath. This rock was called Mount Athos.

Antiquity
Up to the 3rd century BC, there where quite a few small Greek towns in the peninsula. Later, for unknown reasons, these towns fell into decay or were destroyed, resulting in a deserted area for many centuries.

Christianity
According to tradition, the Virgin Mary with John the Evangelist, or their way to visit Lazarus in Cyprus, encountered a stormy sea that forced them to temporarily seek refuge in the port which is now the Holy Monastery of Ivira. The Virgin Mary, admiring the wild beauty of the place, asked God to give her the mountain as a present. Then the voice of our Lord was heard saying: "Let this place be your lot, your garden and your paradise, as well as a salvation, a haven for those who seek salvation". Since then, Mount Athos is considered as "The Garden of the Virgin Mary".
In the 5th century AD, the first monks came to Mount Athos, who disappointed from the boredom of everyday communal life, found this beautiful and uninhabited place ideal for worship their God.

The twenty monasteries in hierarchical order are as follows:
A' Holy Monastery of MEGISTI LAVRA B' Holy Monastery of VATOPEDION
C' Holy Monastery of IVIRON D' Holy Monastery of HILANDARION
E' Holy Monastery of DIONYSOS F' Holy Monastery of KOUTLOUMOUSION
G' Holy Monastery of PANTOKRATOR I' Holy Monastery of XIROPOTAMOS
J' Holy Monastery of ZOGRAFOS K' Holy Monastery of DOCHIARIOS
L' Holy Monastery of KARAKALOS M' Holy Monastery of FILOTHEOS
N' Holy Monastery of SIMON PETRAS O' Holy Monastery of SAINT (AGIOS) PAVLOS
P' Holy Monastery of STAYRONIKITAS Q' Holy Monastery of XENOPHON
R' Holy Monastery of GREGORIOS S' Holy Monastery of ESFIGMENOS
T' Holy Monastery of PANTELEIMON Y' Holy Monastery of KOSTAMONITIS

Photos
(from www.orthodoxinfo.com)