Esphigmenou monastery (Greek: Μονή Εσφιγμένου) is an Eastern Orthodox monastery at the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece, dedicated to the Ascension of Christ. It is built next to the sea at the northern part of the Athonite peninsula. Located near the Hilandar monastery, it is the northernmost of all Athonite monasteries. The current monastery dates back to the 10th century AD, while tradition holds that the site had been used as a monastery since as early as the 5th century. Esphigmenou ranks eighteenth in the hierarchy of the Athonite monasteries and has since the 1970's been a source of controversy due to conflict with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. It currently holds a brotherhood of approximately 115 monks, which makes Esphigmenou the most populous monastery in Athos. The Eastern Orthodox Church is a Christian body that views itself as the historical continuation of the original Christian community established by Jesus and the Twelve Apostles, preserving the traditions of the early church unchanged, accepting the canonicity of the first seven ecumenical councils held between the 4th and the... Monastery of St. ... Monasticism (from Greek: monachos — a solitary person) is the religious practice of renouncing all worldly pursuits in order to fully devote ones life to spiritual work. ... Capital Karyes Languages Koine Greek, Church Slavonic (both liturgical), as well as Modern Greek, Russian, Serbian, Georgian, Bulgarian, Romanian (civil) Head of State Greek Minister of For. ... The Christian doctrine of the Ascension holds that Jesus bodily ascended to heaven following his resurrection. ... Hilandar (Greek Chilandar) is an Eastern Orthodox monastery on Mount Athos in Greece, traditionally occupied and maintained by the Serbian Orthodox Church. ... The Patriarch of Constantinople is the Ecumenical Patriarch, the first among equals in the Eastern Orthodox communion. ...

Name

The monastery's name translates to Greek literally as tightened. There exist conflicting traditions regarding the naming of the monastery. One attributes the name to the fact that the monastery is built on a stretch of land, tightened by three surrounding hills and the sea. Byzantine emperor John Komnenos in his book Proskynetarion tou Agiou Orous tou Athonos (Greek: Προσκυνητάριον του Αγίου Όρους του Άθωνος) describes the monastery thus: This is a list of Byzantine Emperors. ... John II Komnenos or Comnenus (Greek: Ιωάννης Β΄ Κομνηνός, IōannÄ“s II KomnÄ“nos) (September 13, 1087 – April 8, 1143) was Byzantine emperor from 1118 to 1143. ...

It is called "Esphigmenou" because it is restricted by three small mountains, close to the sea.

Another tradition attributes the name to the monk that either founded or renovated the monastery. It recounts that he used to wear a tight rope around his waist, therefore the monastery got the name "of the tightened".

History

Athonite tradition attributes the foundation of the monastery to the Byzantine emperor Theodosius II and his sister Pulcheria during the 5th century AD. According to the same tradition this early monastery was destroyed by a huge rock that fell from the nearby hills. According to the same tradition its remains can still be found 500 metres from the existing monastery. Historical and archaeological evidence cannot safely confirm this tradition and therefore the precise time of the monastery's foundation, as well as its founders cannot be positively identified. Theodosius II Flavius Theodosius II (April, 401 - July 28, 450 ). The eldest son of Eudoxia and Arcadius who at the age of 7 became the Roman Emperor of the East. ... Pulcheria (January 19, 399 – 453) was the daughter of the Eastern Roman Emperor Arcadius and Aelia Eudoxia. ...

The evidence can however confirm that as early as the late 10th or early 11th century the monastery existed. It is mentioned in at least three manuscripts. The monastery is referred in a letter by Paul of Xiropotamou dating from 1016. In the will of the monk Demetrius of Chalki, dating from 1030, is signed by a monk who calls himself "Theoktistos monk and abbot of Esphigmenou monastery". Finally, the monastery is mentioned at the second Typicon of Mount Athos in 1046. Xiropotamou monastery (Greek: Μονή Ξηροποτάμου) is an orthodox christian monastery at the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece. ... In the common law, a will or testament is a document by which a person (the testator) regulates the rights of others over his property or family after death. ...

The monastery greatly prospered until the Ottoman conquest. Many Byzantine emperors, such as John V Palaiologos, contributed to this, as well as leaders of other orthodox states such as Stefan Uroš IV Dušan of Serbia and George, Prince of Rascia. This prosperity was however shrouded by constant disputes over land issues with the neighboring Vatopediou monastery, as well as many pirate raids and two great fires that damaged the monastery during the 14th century. According to manuscripts held in the monastery's collection, the pirates posed a serious threat to the monastery due to the fact that the sea near it is usually calm compared to the seas around the rest of the athonite peninsula. Due to the above reasons the monastery was eventually ruined and practically deserted which allowed the nearby monasteries of Hilandar and Zograf to grab various portions of land from it, which lead to further legal disputes. The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power Imperial motto El Muzaffer Daima The Ever Victorious (as written in tugra) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital İstanbul ( Constantinople/Asitane/Konstantiniyye ) Sovereigns Sultans of the Osmanli Dynasty Population ca 40 million Area 12+ million km² Establishment 1299 Dissolution October 29... John V Palaiologos or Palaeologus (Greek: , IōannÄ“s V Palaiologos), (1332 – February 16, 1391) was the son of Emperor Andronikos III Palaiologos and Anna of Savoy. ... DuÅ¡an Silni Stefan UroÅ¡ IV DuÅ¡an Silni (the Mighty) (Serbian: Стефан Урош IV Душан Силни, in English also Stephen Dushan) (c. ... Stefan George of Rascia, ĐuraÄ‘ Branković (Serbian: Ђурађ Бранковић, Hungarian: Brankovics György) (1377 - 1456), also known under patronymic ĐuraÄ‘ Vuković, was a Serbian monarch (greek: despot) who ruled from 1427-56. ... The holy monastery of Vatopedi was built during the second half of the 10th century, by three monks, Athanasius, Nicholas and Antonius from Adrinople, who were the pupils of St. ... Look up pirate and piracy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Hilandar (Greek Chilandar) is an Eastern Orthodox monastery on Mount Athos in Greece, traditionally occupied and maintained by the Serbian Orthodox Church. ... The St George the Zograf or Zograf Monastery (Bulgarian: Зографски манастир, Zografski manastir; Greek: Μονή Ζωγράφου) is a Bulgarian Orthodox monastery on Mount Athos in Greece. ...

However the monastery managed to recover eventually, as evidenced by a manuscript dated from 1569 that recounts of 51 monks working for its reestablishment. In 1655 Czar Alexis I of Russia gave the monks permit to travel throughout his lands every 5 years to raise funds for the monastery. During the same period the rulers of the Danubian Principalities also made significant contributions to the monastery. During the early 18th century the bishop Gregory of Melenikon made donations to the it and eventually become one of its monks, undertaking a renovation of the monastery. Also, the bishop Daniel of Thessaloniki took care of the monastery's finances and, with the consent of the Athonite community and Patriarch Gerasimus III of Constantinople, made the monastery a cenobium. The relevant patriarchical edict was published in 1797 by Patriarch Gregory V of Constantinople, who also rebuilt the southern part of the monastery that had been ruined. Tsar, (Bulgarian цар�, Russian царь; often spelled Czar or Tzar in English), was the title used for the autocratic rulers of the First and Second Bulgarian Empires since 913, in Serbia in the middle of the 14th century, and in Russia from 1547 to 1917. ... Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich (Russian: Алексей Михайлович) (March 9, 1629 (O.S.) - January 29, 1676 (O.S.)) was a Tsar of Russia during some of the most eventful decades of the mid-17th century. ... The Danubian Principalities was a conventional name given to the Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia which emerged in the late 13th century and became the basis for the Romanian nation. ... Gerasimus III was Patriarch of Constantinople from 1794 to 1797. ... The cenobitic tradition is a monastic tradition that stresses community life. ... Gregory V was Patriarch of Constantinople from 1797 to 1798, from 1806 to 1808 and from 1818 to 1821. ...

A series of competent abbots (Acacius, Euthymius, Theodoritus and Agathangellus) greatly renovated and expanded the monastery, to the point that the current structures date almost exclusively from their time. The successor of Agathangellus, Lucas, founded an iconographic school, that greatly served the monastery for an extended period of time. Iconography usually refers to the design or creation of images and more specifically to the historical study of art which aims at the identification, description and the interpretation of the content of images. ...

During the Greek War of Independence, the monastery, being the northernmost monastery of the peninsula, suffered gravely from the Ottoman armies that ravaged Mount Athos. However, during this period, it did experience some degree of prosperity. Combatants Greek revolutionaries, United Kingdom, Russia, France Ottoman Empire, Egyptian troops Commanders Theodoros Kolokotronis, Alexander Ypsilanti Omer Vryonis, Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt. ...

Controversy

See also: Greek Old Calendarists

Esphigmenou has been involved in a decades long dispute with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the 19 other Athonite monasteries, as well as the Church of Greece and other mainstream Orthodox churches and institutions. Greek Old Calendarists (Greek: Παλαιοημερολογίτες, Paleoimerologites) are groups that separated from the Orthodox Church of Greece or from the Patriarchate of Constantinople, precipitated by disagreement over the retention of the Julian Calendar. ... The Patriarch of Constantinople is the Ecumenical Patriarch, the first among equals in the Eastern Orthodox communion. ... The Church of Greece is one of the fifteenth autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches which make up the Eastern Orthodox Communion. ... Orthodox Christianity is a generalized reference to the Eastern traditions of Christianity, as opposed to the Western traditions (which descend through, or alongside of, the Roman Catholic Church) or the Eastern Rite Catholic churches. ...

The monastic community of Mount Athos is under the direct spiritual jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarch and all Athonite monks are canonically required to commemorate (Greek: να μνημονεύουν) the Patriarch. However, since the 1970ies, Esphigmenou has become the stronghold for the staunchly conservative Greek Old Calendarists who accuse the Patriarchate of being ecumenist and refuse to commemorate the Patriarch. These accusations stem from the conciliatory approach that has been adopted by the Ecumenical Patriarchate towards the Roman Catholic Church, as manifested by meetings of the Ecumenical Patriarch with the Pope, such as the 2006 papal visit to the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul. Capital Karyes Languages Koine Greek, Church Slavonic (both liturgical), as well as Modern Greek, Russian, Serbian, Georgian, Bulgarian, Romanian (civil) Head of State Greek Minister of For. ... The Patriarch of Constantinople is the Ecumenical Patriarch, the first among equals in the Eastern Orthodox Communion. ... Canon law is the term used for the internal ecclesiastical law which governs various churches, most notably the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Churches and the Anglican Communion of churches. ... Greek Old Calendarists (Greek: Παλαιοημερολογίτες, Paleoimerologites) are groups that separated from the Orthodox Church of Greece or from the Patriarchate of Constantinople, precipitated by disagreement over the retention of the Julian Calendar. ... The word ecumenism (also oecumenism, Å“cumenism) is derived from Greek (oikoumene), which means the inhabited world, and was historically used with specific reference to the Roman Empire. ... The Roman Catholic Church or Catholic Church (see terminology below) is the Christian Church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, currently Pope Benedict XVI. It traces its origins to the original Christian community founded by Jesus of Nazareth, with its traditions first established by the Twelve Apostles and... The current Pope is Benedict XVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger), who was elected at the age of 78 on 19 April 2005. ... Istanbul (Turkish: , Greek: / Konstandinúpoli, historically known in English as Constantinople; see other names) is Turkeys most populous city, and its cultural and financial center. ...

The monks of the monastery have broken all spiritual ties with the rest of the monastic community and do not participate in the common meetings at Karyes, the administrative center of Athos. The Esphigmenites are generally regarded as zealots by the rest of the Athonite community, while they regard themselves as "Genuine Orthodox Christians" or "Orthodox Christians in Resistance", seeing other Athonites as ecumenist heretics, while using as their motto the phrase Orthodoxy or Death. The building that houses the secular administration at Karyes Karyes is a settlement in Mount Athos. ... Zealotry denotes zeal in excess, referring to cases where activism and ambition in relation to an ideology have become excessive to the point of being harmful to others, oneself, and ones own cause. ... Heresy, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is a theological or religious opinion or doctrine maintained in opposition, or held to be contrary, to the ‘catholic’ or orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church, or, by extension, to that of any church, creed, or religious system, considered as orthodox. ...

The relationship between the Esphigmenites and the Ecumenical Patriarchate have greatly deteriorated since 2002, when Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople declared them as being in schism with the Orthodox Church.^[1] Since the Constitution of Greece prohibits schismatics from dwelling in Athos, the Esphigmenites were ordered by a Thessaloniki court to evict the monastery. However they refused to comply, even when the Greek Supreme Court ordered their eviction. ^[2] His All Holiness, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew I (Greek: Η Αυτού Θειοτάτη Παναγιότης, ο Αρχιεπίσκοπος Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, Νέας Ρώμης και Οικουμενικός Πατριάρχης, Βαρθολομαίος Α), has been the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, and thus first among equals in the Eastern Orthodox Communion, since 2 November 1991. ... The word schism (IPA: or ), from the Greek σχίσμα, skhísma (from σχίζω, skhízō, to split), means a division or a split, usually in an organization or a movement. ... The Syntagma (Σύνταγμα), the Constitution of Greece is resolved by the Fifth Revisionary Parliament of the Hellenes and entered into force in 1975. ... Coordinates 40°38′ N 22°57′ E Country Greece Periphery Central Macedonia Prefecture Thessaloniki [1] Population 363,987 source (2001) Metropolitan area population 1. ...

The Ecumenical Patriarch and the rest of the Athonite community reacted by declaring the Esphigmenites illegal, and sanctioned the formation of a new brotherhood, that recognizes the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate. Esphigmenou again gained global attention in December 2006 when members of the two brotherhoods clashed violently in Karyes. The legally recognized brotherhood tried to force their way in the monastery's offices in Karyes so as to begin the construction of new offices. The squatter monks of the legally unrecognized brotherhood attacked the intruders with crowbars and fire extinguishers. ^[3] In the ensuing clashes seven monks were severely injured.^[4] The building that houses the secular administration at Karyes Karyes is a settlement in Mount Athos. ...

In January 2007, the District Attorney of Thessaloniki pressed charges against the Esphigmenou squatters for embezzlement of over 150.000 euros and estate belonging to the monastery. [1]

Architecture

The monastery is home to various important structures. Although the monastery dates back as early as the 5th century, the current structures were built mainly during the first half of the 19th century. The general outline of the monastery is a rectangular wall which forms a spacious inner courtyard. In the middle of the courtyard lies the Catholicon surrounded by the wings that house the monks' cells, the guest-house and the refectory.

Its catholicon, which is dedicated to the Ascension of Christ, was built by the abbot Theodoritos, between 1806 and 1810. It is built at the site of an earlier catholicon and in the manner of athonite churches. It was inaugurated by Patriarch Gregory V in 1811. The construction of the catholicon was greatly aided by personal donations of the bishop Ignatius of Kassandreia. The temple itself is spacious and majestic and bears 8 domes on its lead covered roof, the central dome being the largest. The marble used for its construction was transported to Athos from Tinos, the place of origin of the church's architect, Paul. The Summa grammaticalis quae vocatur Catholicon, or Catholicon, was completed March 7, 1286 by John Balbi (Johannes Januensis de Balbis) , of Genoa, a Dominican. ... The Christian doctrine of the Ascension holds that Jesus bodily ascended to heaven following his resurrection. ... Venus de Milo, front. ... Tinos (Greek: Τήνος; Italian: Tine) is a Greek island situated in the Aegean Sea. ...

The nave of the catholicon was decorated with iconography in 1811 and the sanctuary in 1818 by the iconographers Veniamin, Zacharias and Makarios. The decoration was completed in 1841 with iconography of the narthex by the iconographers Ioasaf, Nikiforos, Gerasimos and Anthimos. The altar, the iconostasis, as well as other features of the temple, date back to this era. The iconostasis in particular, which depicts scenes from the Old and the New Testaments, is wood carved, covered with golden plating and is considered one of the most important post-byzantine iconostases in Athos. The catholicon also has two chapels, a vestibule and a porch, added in 1845 by Ecumenical Patriarch Anthimus VI of Constantinople, a previously Esphigmenite monk. Links to full descriptions of the elements of a Gothic floorplan are also found at the entry Cathedral diagram. ... Ajax prepares to violate the sanctuary of Athena by abducting Cassandra by force: red-figure vase, c. ... The narthex of a church is the entrance or lobby area. ... Look up Altar in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 17th-century iconostasis of Prophet Elias church, Yaroslavl. ... A chapel is a church other than a parish church, often attached to a larger institution such as a college, a hospital, a palace, or a prison. ... Vestibule can have the following meanings, each primarily based upon a common origin, from early 17th century French, derived from Latin vestibulum ‘entrance court. ... A covered porch. ... Anthimus VI, (original name Joannides, c. ...

Outside the southeastern corner of the catholicon there is a Font (Greek: Φιάλη), that is used to keep Holy water. It was built in 1815 by the abbot Euthymios, at the site of an older similar structure that dated from the time of John V Palaiologos. The structure is roofed by a dome that is held by eight marble columns, connected by sculpted marble metopes. Baptismal font in Magdeburg Cathedral, Germany A baptismal font is an article of church furniture used for the baptism of children and adults. ... St. ... John V Palaiologos or Palaeologus (Greek: , IōannÄ“s V Palaiologos), (1332 – February 16, 1391) was the son of Emperor Andronikos III Palaiologos and Anna of Savoy. ...

The refectory is the oldest building in the monastery. It is a semi-detached building in the west wing, across the catholicon. It is a rectangle building, renovated in 1810 by abbot Euthymios. Its iconography, dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries still survives, albeit greatly damaged by fires that the Ottoman soldiers lit to accommodate themselves during their stay in the monastery during the Greek revolutionary war. A refectory is a dining room, especially in monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. ...

The monastery also has 13 chapels, 8 inside the main complex and 5 outside. Among the inner chapels, the most important are the chapel of the Presentation of Mary and the chapel of the Archangels at the sides of the catholicon. The other inner chapels are distributed at various sites inside the monastery and contain no frescoes but house important icons. Of the outer chapels, the most notable is the chapel of Saint Anthony of Kiev, the founder of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, that lies just across the monastery. A chapel is a church other than a parish church, often attached to a larger institution such as a college, a hospital, a palace, or a prison. ... The feast of the Presentation of Mary is not based on a Biblical event, but rather an incident mentioned in the Infancy Narrative of James. ... An archangel is a supernatural being of Zoroastrian Persian, Judaic, Christian, and Islamic theology, counted among the angels. ... The Savior Not Made By Hands (1410s, by Andrei Rublev) An icon (from Greek εικων, eikon, image) is an artistic visual representation or symbol of anything considered holy and divine, such as God, saints or deities. ... St. ... Roofs of the Holy Trinity Church Kievo-Pecherskaya Lavra, 1890s Kiev Pechersk Lavra (Ukrainian: ; Russian: ), also known as the Kiev Monastery of the Caves, is an ancient cave monastery in Kiev. ...

Cultural treasures

The monastery's treasury houses many important relics. The treasury, along with the monastery's library are temporarily housed over the catholicon's narthex. Among important cultural treasures, such as crosses, books, garments etc, Esphigmenou has in its possession a large (3.05×2.80 m²) part of Napoleon Bonaparte's tent, which was donated to the monastery by Patriarch Gregory V of Constantinople. The monks use this once a year, at the celebration of the Ascension of Christ, as a tent over the entrance of the catholicon. Bonaparte as general Napoleon Bonaparte ( 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a general of the French Revolution and was the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from November 11, 1799 to May 18, 1804, then as Emperor of the French (Empereur des... A tent is a shelter, consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over or attached to a frame of poles and/or ropes. ...

The so called Cross of Pulcheria lies at the catholicon's altar, which also houses cases of holy relics and a very important byzantine mosaic icon. The icon is barely 0.15×0.07 m² and depicts Christ in a standing position in great detail. The icon is surrounded by a silver frame that depicts the apostles, while holy relics are engraved at its lower side. A relic is an object, especially a piece of the body or a personal item of someone of religious significance, carefully preserved with an air of veneration as a tangible memorial, Relics are an important aspect of Buddhism, some denominations of Christianity, Hinduism, shamanism, and many other personal belief systems. ... Mosaic is the art of decoration with small pieces of colored glass, stone or other material. ... Christ the Redeemer (1410s, by Andrei Rublev) An icon (from Greek , eikon, image) is an image, picture, or representation; it is a sign or likeness that stands for an object by signifying or representing it, or by analogy, as in semiotics; in computers an icon is a symbol on the... Christ is the English translation of the Greek word (Christós), which literally means The Anointed One. ... Alternate meaning: See Apostle (Mormonism) The Christian Apostles were Jewish men chosen from among the disciples, who were sent forth (as indicated by the Greek word απόστολος apostolos= messenger), by Jesus to preach the Gospel to both Jews and Gentiles, across the...

The monastery also has a large collection of manuscripts. Its library houses 372 manuscripts, of which 75 are parchment and some bear iconographic decoration. Famous among this is the renowned Minologion, coded #14, that bears 80 miniatures. The library also holda a collection of roughly 2000 printed books, while 6000 more are also housed in another part of the monastery, at the second floor of the northern wing. German parchmenter, 1568 Parchment is a material for the pages of a book or codex, made from fine calf skin, sheep skin or goat skin. ... The word miniature, derived from the Latin minium, red lead, is a picture in an ancient or medieval manuscript; the simple decoration of the early codices having been miniated or delineated with that pigment. ...

Footnotes

1. ^ The Patriarchical decision
2. ^ Greece's rebel monks in mountain stand-off, BBC, Tuesday, 28 January, 2003
3. ^ Monks injured in clashes at sanctuary, Scotsman, 21-Dec-06
4. ^ Greek monks clash over monastery, BBC, Wednesday, 20 December 2006

Bibliography

• Kadas, Sotiris. The Holy Mountain (in Greek). Athens: Ekdotike Athenon. ISBN 960-213-199-3. 

External links

• Greek Ministry of Culture: Holy Monastery of Esfigmenou
• Site of the Esphigmenou monks
• Macedonian Heritage - The Monastery of Esphigmenou
• Stance of the Church of Greece and Mt.Athos community on the dispute
• Athenian news agency article on the dispute (Greek)
• Kathimerini newspaper, November 2005 - article about the Esphigmenou Monastery (Greek)
• Kathimerini newspaper, May 2005 - Letter from Mount Athos (English)

Monasteries of Mount Athos

Megísti Lávra | Vatopédi | Iviron | Chilandariou | Dionysiou | Koutloumousiou | Pandokratoros | Xiropotamou | Zografou | Dochiariou | Karakalou
Filotheou | Simonos Petra | Agiou Pavlou | Stavronikita | Ksenofondos | Osiou Grigoriou | Esfigmenou | Agiou Panteleimonos | Konstamonitou Image File history File links ICXC_NIKA_Cross-sm. ... Capital Karyes Languages Koine Greek, Church Slavonic (both liturgical), as well as Modern Greek, Russian, Serbian, Georgian, Bulgarian, Romanian (civil) Head of State Greek Minister of For. ... The Monastary of Great Lavra was built by the monk Athanasios in the 10th century. ... The holy monastery of Vatopedi was built during the second half of the 10th century, by three monks, Athanasius, Nicholas and Antonius from Adrinople, who were the pupils of St. ... Iviron monastery, as seen from the path that connects Iviron to Stavronikita monastery Iviron monastery (Greek: Μονή Ιβήρων) is an orthodox christian monastery at the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece. ... Hilandar (Greek Chilandar) is an Eastern Orthodox monastery on Mount Athos in Greece, traditionally occupied and maintained by the Serbian Orthodox Church. ... Dionysiou monastery (Greek: Μονή Διονυσίου) is an orthodox christian monastery at the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece. ... Koutloumousiou monastery (Greek: Μονή Κουτλουμουσίου) is an orthodox christian monastery at the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece. ... Pantokratoros monastery (Greek: Μονή Παντοκράτορος) is an orthodox christian monastery at the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece. ... Xiropotamou monastery (Greek: Μονή Ξηροποτάμου) is an orthodox christian monastery at the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece. ... The St George the Zograf or Zograf Monastery (Bulgarian: Зографски манастир, Zografski manastir; Greek: Μονή Ζωγράφου) is a Bulgarian Orthodox monastery on Mount Athos in Greece. ... Dochiariou monastery (Greek: Μονή Δοχειαρείου) is an orthodox christian monastery at the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece. ... Karakalou monastery (Greek: Μονή Καρακάλου) is an orthodox christian monastery at the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece. ... Filotheou monastery (Greek: Μονή Φιλοθέου) is an orthodox christian monastery at the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece. ... Simonopetra, southern view. ... Agiou Pavlou monastery (Greek: Μονή Αγίου Παύλου) is an orthodox christian monastery at the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece. ... Stavronikita monastery, South-East view Stavronikita monastery (Greek: Μονή Σταυρονικήτα) is an orthodox christian monastery at the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece, dedicated to St. ... Ksenofondos monastery as seen from the sea Ksenofondos monastery (Greek: Μονή Ξενοφώντος) is an orthodox christian monastery at the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece. ... Osiou Grigoriou monastery (Greek: Μονή Οσίου Γρηγορίου) is an orthodox christian monastery at the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece. ... View of the Rossikon. ... Konstamonitou monastery (Greek: Μονή Κοσταμονίτου) is an orthodox christian monastery at the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece. ...