Monasteries, monastic villages and hermitages
The famous Mount Athos is an Orthodox monastic republic on the easternmost of the three foothills of the Chalkidiki peninsula. Athos has been an autonomous republic within the Greek state since 1923, represented by a governor and police chief, but without being able to exercise power. The Patriarch of Constantinople is considered to be the religious head.
Today there are about 20 inhabited monasteries on Mount Athos, which give the headland a mysterious attraction. The monks live here isolated from civilization in their own world.
In ancient times, the Holy Mountain was considered a rock that the sea god Poseidon smashed onto the giant Athos during the giants' battle. The monks, on the other hand, tell their own legend about the origin of the sanctuary:
The Blessed Mother is said to have anchored off the pagan island of Athos accompanied by St. John on her way to Cyprus. When the Virgin went ashore, all of the pagan statues suddenly burst. She then blessed this area and declared that no woman should ever enter this area again. The republic is still known today as the “Garden of the Virgin”.
Nobody knows exactly when the first monks settled there. What is certain, however, is that in the 4th / 5th In the 15th century, monastic communities or so-called Lavra (hermit colonies) were already based on the mountain, the number of which grew steadily until the 40th century. During this time there are reports of around 25.000 monasteries with around 40.000–15 monks who lived on Mount Athos according to strict rules of the order. After this heyday during the 2.000th century, the number of monks steadily decreased, as evidenced by small abandoned hermitages and ruins of larger complexes. But there were always enough monks left to ensure the continued existence of the monastic republic. Today more than 20 monks live on Mount Athos in 17 monasteries, XNUMX of which are Greek and one each Serbian, Bulgarian and Russian.
In the monasteries, the coenobic or communal way of life prevails, because here all activities, such as meals, work or lithurgy, are carried out in the community. In the past there was also the idiorhythmic way of life, in which every monk literally determined his own rhythm. These monks lived in solitary cells, they ate their food alone (except for certain annual festivals) and were allowed to keep the things they had when they made their vows. So they had personal possessions that they could dispose of at their own discretion. Her property only came to the monastery after her death. These friars had to make a living themselves. the
Community only provided them with basic food (bread, wine, oil). In addition to the monasteries, there are also some hermitages and settlements in which the monks live strictly isolated.
The rule requires that anyone wishing to become a monk let their beard and hair grow from the moment they join Athos. Usually the hair is tied in a bun. This custom is not specific to Mount Athos, because all other priests in Greece also have long hair tied in a bun. The custom of letting the hair grow goes back to the old desert traditions of the anchorites (monks of early Christian times) who lived in strict asceticism. For her, growing her hair and beard was a means of showing her break with worldly life and the purity of her soul. This early model later became the rule in Christian monastic life.
It is not easy to gain access to Mount Athos: women and children are generally prohibited from entering. Men need a special permit from the pilgrims' office, which is difficult to obtain, which must be applied for separately and is not granted to everyone, because the monks only allow 10 non-Orthodox pilgrims admission per day. Entry and exit is only permitted by sea. These seemingly outdated regulations can be traced back to the bull of Emperor Constantine Monomachus from the year 1060, which is still valid to this day. This bull not only forbids women and children, but also eunuchs and female animals from entering Mount Athos.
This mystical world, which withstood the pressure of the Turks, the Vatican and other secular and religious powers, still exists today like a holdover from another time, here on the edge of civilization - on Holy Mount Athos.
