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Mount Athos Holy Community

Monastery of St. George the Zograf, Mount AthosMonastery of St. George the Zograf, Mount Athos
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zograf_Monastery.jpg
Author: Georgid
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The Holy Community of Mount Athos (Αὐτονομη Μοναστικὴ Πολιτεία Ἁγίου Ὄρους) is a self-governed monastic state within Greece. It covers about 335 sq km and has a population of just around 2,000 people (2011 estimate). It occupies the easternmost tip of the Halkidiki peninsula, protruding some 60 km (37 mi) into the Aegean Sea.

Within the Mount Athos Holy Community is the namesake mountain, which stands at a height of 2,033 m (6,670 ft), and surrounded by steep, densely forested slopes. Although the area is connected to mainland Greece, it is only reachable by sea. The very tip of the peninsula has turbulent currents and has claimed many ships since antiquity - this was where Darius, the King of Persia, lost 300 ships in 492 BC.

Xenophontos Monastery, Mount AthosXenophontos Monastery, Mount Athos
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IMG_1037-20070424-xenophontos-monastery-a.jpg
Author: adriatikus
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In Greek mythology, Athos was the name of one of the Gigantes, giants who challenged the Greek gods. Athos hurled a massive rock at Poseidon. The rock fell into the Aegean Sea and became Athonite Peninsula.

There is an early Christian belief that the Virgin Mary was on a boat with the Apostle John. The boat was blown to the then pagan Athos. She came to shoare, blessing it. From then henceforth, the mountain was a sacred garden to the "mother of god", and was off limits to all other women.

Mount Athos is home to some 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries. These monasteries are homes to communities of Christian hermits observing a monastic rule. They stay in often hard-to-reach sites to worship in solitude. These hermit communities, called skete, are styled like small villages. There are today twelve sketes on Mount Athos.

Stavronikita Monastery, Mount AthosStavronikita Monastery, Mount Athos
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stavronikita_Aug2006.jpg
Author: Thodoris Lakiotis
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Representatives of the 20 Holy Monasteries of Mount Athos form a four-member executive committee governing the Holy Mountain. The administration of each monastery is under the care of the Abbot, elected to office by the brotherhood for life.

People wishing to visit the monasteries at Mount Athos need to seek special permission. Those who opt to lead a monastic life at the Holy Mountain are given Greek citizenship without further formalities. Nonetheless, of the 20 monasteries, only three have brethren from non-Greek ethnic backgrounds, the remaining 17 are composed of ethnically Greek brethren.

In 1988 Mount Athos was inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site during its 12th session meeting in Brasilia, Brazil.

Esphigmenou Monastery, Mount AthosEsphigmenou Monastery, Mount Athos
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Esphigmenou_monastery_2006.jpg
Author: Asgozzi
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Holy Monasteries of Mount Athos

  1. Agiou Panteleimonos Monastery

  2. Agiou Pavlou Monastery

  3. Dionysiou Monastery

  4. Dochiariou Monastery

  5. Esphigmenou Monastery

  6. Filotheou Monastery

  7. Great Lavra Monastery

  8. Helandariou Monastery

  9. Iviron Monastery

  10. Karakalou Monastery

  11. Konstamonitou Monastery

  12. Koutloumousiou Monastery

  13. Osiou Grigoriou Monastery

  14. Pantokratoros Monastery

  15. Simonos Petras Monastery

  16. Stavronikita Monastery

  17. Vatopedi Monastery

  18. Xenophontos Monastery

  19. Xiropotamou Monastery

  20. Zografou Monastery

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Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.

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