Eastern Orthodox (Christianity)
Ἅγιον Ὄρος
Mount Athos
“The Orthodox Holy Mountain, a whole peninsula made a monastery, ringed by the sea”
Photo: Sergespbrus · CC BY-SA 4.0
Scenes
Meaning
The deep blue Aegean opens below, and along the ridges of the forested peninsula fortress-like monasteries sit. Beneath balconies clinging to cliffs and red domes, a thousand years of prayer and bells ride the sea wind.
Called the 'Holy Mountain,' it is the center of Orthodox monasticism, a self-governing community whose whole peninsula is made up of twenty monasteries. From around the 10th century monks are said to have gathered here to pray apart from the world, and strict monastic life and pilgrimage continue today. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Field notes
- Location
- Chalkidiki · Greece · N40.2° · E24.3°
- Best time
- Late spring and early autumn, when the sea is calm
- Getting there
- By boat from Ouranoupoli in Chalkidiki, Greece; entry requires a prior permit.
- Etiquette
- A place of strict continuing monastic rule; visitors obtain a permit and observe rules of dress and quiet.
Sources
- · UNESCO World Heritage
- · Encyclopaedia Britannica
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