mt athos Mount Athos Holy Mountain Latest Photos 2012 of Aghion Oros and latest Free Visit
The basic detail of Aghion Oros or mt athos so it is best and CompleteTravel Guide 2012 Road Map
1-MT Athos Location:
Mount Athos (Greek Άγιο Όρος, "
Holy Mountain"), is a mountainous peninsula in northern Greece. It 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
Mount Athos peninsula is the easternmost "leg" of the larger
Chalkidiki peninsula. It protrudes into the Aegean Sea for some 60 km at a width between 7 to 12 km. It 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. Xerxes I had a channel excavated across the isthmus to allow the passage of his invasion fleet in 483 BC. Latest Image 2012.
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| mt athos (Mount Athos) Best Photos |
Because of it's isolation Mount Athos has remained one of the most unspoiled parts of Greece. The landscape is stunning and wild, with small green valleys and gorges, well wooded peaks interspersed with precipitous ravines and an inaccessible coastline. Small streams of crystal clear water run free under the deep shade of the chestnut trees. Here and there in this wilderness are the fortified walls of the monasteries, with small vegetable plots around them, encircled by a silver-green sea of the olive groves. Hidden among the greenery and the impassable gorges, perched in the most unexpected positions is the white speckle of a little hut were a hermit spends his days in solitude and contemplation.
It is a land where myth is entwined with history, miracles mingle with reality. Savage mountain scenery reflecting on the dark blue sea create that essential framework of isolation in a peaceful, solitary world, chosen by the hermits for their monastic state.
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| mt athos (Mount Athos) History |
3-History
Mt. Athos as a monastic community was formally founded in 963, when the monk Athanasios established the monastery of Great Lavra, which is still the largest and most prominent of the 20 monasteries. It enjoyed the protection of the emperors of the Byzantine Empire during the following centuries and its wealth and possessions grew considerably.
In the 13th century, the
Fourth Crusade 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 Muslim
Ottoman Empire took over. The Turks taxed the monasteries heavily, but for the most part left them alone.
The population of monks and their wealth declined over the next centuries, but was revitalized around the 19th century by the donations and new arrivals from
other Eastern Orthodox countries, such as Russia, Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia. Each country came to exert its influence on individual monasteries.
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| mt athos (Mount Athos) Location |
Map of the Mount Athos monasteries.
Click to enlarge.
Public domain.
In 1912, during the First Balkan War, the Ottomans were forced out and after a brief conflict between Greece and Russia over sovereignty, the peninsula formally came under Greek sovereignty after World War I.
In modern times, Mount Athos monasteries have repeatedly been struck by wildfires, including in August 1990 and in March 2004. Due to the secluded locations of the monasteries and the unavailability of suitable firefighting gear, the damages inflicted by these fires are often considerable.
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| mt athos (Mount Athos) Garden Pic 2011 |
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| mt athos (Mount Athos) Outside Picture 2012 |
4-What to See
Politically, the peninsula is essentially self-governed. It consists of
20 main monasteries plus the capital city and administrative centre, Karyes, which is also home to a Greek governor. The 20 sovereign monasteries, in the order of their place in the hierarchy, are:
- Great Lavra (Μεγίστη Λαύρα, Megísti Lávra)
- Vatopedi (Βατοπέδι or Βατοπαίδι)
- Iviron (Ιβήρων; ივერთა მონასტერი, iverta monasteri) - built by Georgians
- Hilandar (Χιλανδαρίου, Chilandariou; Хиландар) - Serbian
- Dionysiou (Διονυσίου)
- Koutloumousiou (Κουτλουμούσι)
- Pantokrator (Παντοκράτορος, Pantokratoros)
- Xiropotamou (Ξηροποτάμου)
- Zografou (Ζωγράφου; Зограф) - Bulgarian
- Dochiariou (Δοχειαρίου)
- Karakalou (Καρακάλλου)
- Filotheou (Φιλοθέου)
- Simonos Petra (Σίμωνος Πέτρα or Σιμωνόπετρα)
- Saint Paul (Αγίου Παύλου, Agiou Pavlou)
- Stavronikita (Σταυρονικήτα)
- Xenophontos (Ξενοφώντος)
- Osiou Grigoriou (Οσίου Γρηγορίου)
- Esfigmenou (Εσφιγμένου)
- Saint Panteleimon (Αγίου Παντελεήμονος, Agiou Panteleimonos; Пантелеймонов; or Ρωσικό, Rossikon) - Russian
- Konstamonitou (Κωνσταμονίτου)
In addition to the monasteries there are 12
sketes, smaller communities of monks, as well as many (solitary) hermitages throughout the peninsula. The main sketes are:
- Kafsokalyvia
- Lakkoskete (Lacu, Sfântul Dumitru - Romanian)
- New Skete
- Prodromos (Prodromu, Sfântul Ioan Botezătorul - Romanian)
- Provata
- Saint Anne's Skete
- Saint Basil's Skete
- Skete of Iviron
- Skete of Koutloumousiou
- Skete of Pantokratoros
- Skete of Vatopedi
- Skete of Xenophontos
- Saint Andrew's Skete also known as Saray (Σαράι)
In order to reduce temptation, women, beardless boys and eunuchs are completely barred from the peninsula. Even female domestic animals (with the exception of cats who control rodents and hens who provide the yolk needed for the paint used in iconography) are forbidden.
However, during the Greek Civil War, Athos did shelter refugees including women and girls, and the rule against beardless boys is not strictly enforced.
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5-Getting There
Visits to the peninsula are possible for men who aren't monks or even Greek Orthodox, but they need special permission in advance. Cruises around the peninsula are available to all, providing both men and women a glimpse into the secluded life of the monks of
Mt. Athos.
6-Political Situation
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| mt athos (Mount Athos) Map |
The Holy Mount is a self- governed part of the Greek state, subject to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in its political aspect and to the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinopole as regards its religious aspect. |
| It has been divided into twenty self- governed territories. Each territory consists of a cardinal monastery and some other monastic establishments that surround it (cloisters, cells, cottages, seats, hermitages). |
7-Mount Athos Visiting Rules
Basic Conditions for Admission to Mount Athos In accordance with a "Chryssobul" (edict) issued by the Byzantine Emperor Constantine Monomahos, in 1060 A.D. which still remains valid, conditions for entering the territory of Mt. Athos are as follows:
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| mt athos (Mount Athos) Group |
(a) A permit is required for both individuals and groups. This is issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Directorate of Churches (at No 2, Zalokosta Street, in Athens, tel: 3626.894) or by the Ministry of Northern Greece, Directorate of Civil Affairs at Diiki- tiriou Square in Thessaloniki, tel. 031/270.092. (b) Women are not admitted into the territory.
(c) Overnight stay is forbidden except for those who have proven religious or scientific interests in the area and are over 18 years old.
If you need assistance try www.athensguide.com/dorian
8-Visit mt Athos
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| mt athos (Mount Athos) Airel View |
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| mt athos (Mount Athos) Beach Photo |
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| mt athos (Mount Athos) Building photo 2015 |
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| mt athos (Mount Athos) Hills Picture |
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| mt athos (Mount Athos) roof Top photo |
The permission for a film team to visit Athos is very rare, the last time anyone was invited to film was in 1981. Apparently, the producers were very persistent this time. Finally they were invited by Elisaios, the Abbot of Simonopetras, who said "We weren't going to invite you but your persistence convinced us to open the door.
mt athos Mount Athos Holy Mountain Latest Photos 2012 of Aghion Oros
