Holy Mt. Athos

I had already mentioned about Holy mount Athos in my recent trip reports. Today I gonna tell you about legendary Athos in detail. Greece is various. From one side it is vivid, modern, lively and from the other side Greece is saturated with ancient traditions, customs and religion, which was developed for centuries.

This post is exactly about religious Greece.

Well, those of you, who would like to spend time in solitude, pacification, to cognize Holy Greece, to learn history, to get supply of positive energy, to become purer, welcome to monastic state – Agios Oros!

This place is really wonderful: charming landscapes, fresh and holy air and even special atmosphere will relax you and grant warm feelings. Athos mountain is an original monastic state, which age is about one thousand years. And all this time Athos' residents were living according to special rules, which was called cannons. All Athos' monasteries are strictly male and it is forbidden to females to come and stay here. If you are interested in monastic live, come easily to Athos.

The mountain numbers about 20 monasteries. They are straggled out full length of Halkidiki peninsula. Here a lot of not merely monasteries, but also monastic cells and small secluded monasteries for hermits.

Athos mountain is real Byzantine and post-Byzantine Art museum. It is not a wonder to see here antique wall paintings (frescos) and mosaics, precious diminutive manufactures, church utensils and other relics, which are kept into monasteries.

The way of monastic life assists you in pacification, prayerful mood and purification. Here you will relax to the max, find yourself, find the way out from your hardest situation.

Each monastery has its' own rules and everyone, who came and stay here should follow these rules. They were created ages ago especially to remain calm and to save specific atmosphere. So, there are some of these rules:

it is forbidden to wear T-shirts and shorts;

to drink spirits;

to speak loudly;

to turn on radio sets and tape recorders;

to use cell phones;

to give your monastic cell to anybody else for habitation;

to move the furniture, which are situated in your cell to another place or another cell;

to take communion bread and holy loaf to unchristened and non-Orthodox persons, etc.

I think, it would be reasonable to formulate some church definitions.

Pilgrimage – is a journey to a shrine or other sacred place.

Palmer – is a pilgrim bearing a palm branch as a sign of his visit to the Holy Land.

Monastic cell – living space at monastery for one or several monks.

Communion bread – is round white small loaf, using for communion sacrament (in the Orthodox Church).