Mount Athos

Welcome to Mount Athos, the 'Holy Mountain' and the spiritual heart of traditional Orthodox Christianity. As your scholarly guide, I must first emphasize the extraordinary nature of this place: it is an autonomous monastic…

We begin our exploration at the Great Lavra, the most ancient and preeminent of the twenty monasteries on the mountain. Founded in 963 AD by St. …

Perhaps the most visually stunning structure on the peninsula is the Simonopetra Monastery, which appears to be 'suspended between earth and sky' two hundred meters above the crashing waves of the Aegean. Built in the thirteenth…

On the western coast of the peninsula lies the Monastery of St. Panteleimon, also known as the 'Rossikon.' This monastery is one of the most surprising on Athos because of its sheer scale; it 'looks like a town' rather than a…

As we move toward the southern tip of the peninsula, we encounter the Skete of Agia Anna, a smaller, more decentralized monastic community. Reaching Agia Anna 'immediately demands a steep, long hike up the mountain,' a trial that…

Hidden on a 'steep cliffside overlooking the ocean' is the tiny, remote cave where St. Athanasius the Athonite lived as a hermit before founding the Great Lavra. …

To truly understand Mount Athos, one must experience the 'tough daily routine' that governs every monastery and skete. The day begins not at sunrise, but at '3 am,' when the 'monks' chants' begin to fill the ancient churches. …

As you prepare to depart the Holy Mountain and return to the 'outside world,' take a final look at the peak of Athos as it fades into the distance. You have journeyed through a territory 'quite apart in Europe,' a place where…