Mount Athos, called by Greeks Agion Oros, the "Holy Mountain", is the easternmost of the three Chalkidiki peninsulas in Macedonia. About 50 km long, it rises to the 2,033-metre summit of Mount Athos. Since the 10th century it has been inhabited only by Orthodox monks and forms an autonomous monastic community under Greek sovereignty, recognised by the Constitution and European treaties. It has been a UNESCO site since 1988.
The monks' republic
The first great monastery, the Great Lavra, was founded in 963 by St Athanasius with the Byzantine emperor's support. Today the peninsula has 20 main monasteries, plus sketes, cells and hermitages, home to about two thousand monks from Greece, Russia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia and many other countries. The community is governed by the Holy Community at Karyes, with one representative per monastery, and comes under the spiritual jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Life still follows the Julian calendar and Byzantine time, in which the day begins at sunset.
| Main monasteries (examples) | Notes |
|---|---|
| Great Lavra | The oldest and most important |
| Vatopedi | One of the largest and richest, with a famous library |
| Iviron | Founded by Georgian monks |
| Hilandar | The Serbian monastery |
| Agios Panteleimon | The Russian monastery, with onion domes |
| Simonopetra | Built on a cliff high above the sea |
The monasteries hold extraordinary treasures of Byzantine art: icons, frescoes, manuscripts and liturgical objects.
The ban on women
For centuries women have been barred from Mount Athos, as have female domestic animals, under a rule called abaton, which the monks see as protecting a contemplative life dedicated to the Mother of God, the peninsula's patron. The ban has been criticised by European institutions but remains in force. Boats with women aboard must keep a set distance from the coast.
Visiting Athos
- Only adult men may enter, with a permit called the diamonitirion, issued by the Mount Athos Pilgrims' Bureau in Thessaloniki and collected at Ouranoupoli.
- Daily permits for non-Orthodox visitors are limited; book well in advance.
- The standard stay is four days and three nights; you sleep and eat in the monasteries, booking with each one.
- Access is only by sea, by boat from Ouranoupoli to the port of Dafni, then on foot or by minibus.
- Follow the rules: modest dress with long trousers and sleeves, silence, service times, no photography in some areas.
Cruises from the sea
Those who cannot or do not wish to enter, including women, can take a cruise from Ouranoupoli along the peninsula's west coast, passing monasteries overlooking the sea, such as Agios Panteleimon, Dochiariou and Simonopetra, a few hundred metres offshore. The village of Ouranoupoli, with its Byzantine tower, is a pleasant place to stay.
See also the Orthodox Church and the Byzantine Empire.