Mt. Athos

History

• Athos challenged the Greek gods during the Gigantomachia. Athos threw a massive rock against Poseidon which fell in the Aegean sea and became the Athonite Peninsula.
• Said to be visited by the Virgin Mary.
• Said to have an Apollo temple in 7^th century.
• Monks as early as 3^rd century.
• During Byzantine Empire it was inhabited by monks. (~726-1300’s)
• Allegiance with Ottoman Empire let Athonites live peacefully.
• Monasteries were left alone, but heavily taxed and land parcels were taken.
• Athonite Academy taught ancient philosophy and modern physical science in 1749.
• Ottomans forced out in 1912 during Balkan Wars.
• Greece obtained control from Treaty of London in May 30, 1913

Modern History

• Self-governed state of Greece
• Occupied during the Nazi regime
• Mt. Athos was nearly untouched during WWII
• Holy Community consists of 20 main monasteries
• 17 Greek, 1 Russian, 1 Serbian, 1 Bulgarian
• 1145 monks in 1971.
• 2000 monks in 2009.
• Capital of Karyes

Holy Monastery of Simonos Petra

The keli of a hermit monk

Mt. Athos Today

• UNESCO world heritage site
• Important site of Byzantine and Postbyzantine painting

Interesting Facts

• No women allowed in.
• Uses Julian Calendar, 14 days behind normal
• Only accessible by boat
• Ancient decree to build a road from Karyes to the rest of the world.
• No overnight stay for visitors
• During the reign of Julian the Apostate (361–363), the churches of Mount Athos were destroyed, and Christians hid in the woods and inaccessible places.
• The peninsula was on the invasion route of Xerxes I, who spent three years excavating a channel across the isthmus to allow the passage of his invasion fleet (483 BC)
• After the death of Alexander the Great, the architect Dinocrates proposed to carve the entire mountain into a statue of Alexander.

Sources

· http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Athos

· http://www.ouranoupoli.com/athos/athos.html

· http://www.macedonian-heritage.gr/Athos/General/Art.html