Monastery Vatopediou

Founded: 972-985 A.D.
Founder: Athanasios, Nikolaos, Antonios
Feast-day: 25th of March
Library: Byzantine and post-Byzantine manuscripts
Collection: Icons, Painted masterpieces

The Abbey of Vatopedi appears with rich buildings on the NE coast of the peninsula, on the most eastern side. When looking at it from the sea, the fish huts, the tarsana, the warehouses, and the walled sea front gardens all stretching out in front, it gives the impression of a small city or of a big castle, that overflowed into the coast. Also the fruit and the olive trees, the waterfalls, the water mills, the laboratories and workers huts add to this marvel. Its name is usually associated with the determinations, "Lavra", "big" the "biggest abbey".

The title 'founder' that has been awarded to the emperor Theodosia the Great, during the middle of the 4th century, as a result of a myth. According to historical traditions though, founders were three sovereigns from Adrianoupolis, Athanassios, Nikolaos and Antonios. And according to two older documents (985 and 1016) its first abbot Nikolaos was the one from the three.

Very fast after its foundation it reached a fairly high position, but only after 1366, it permanently takes on without any dispute, the second place in the hierarchy. Komninos also being very interested himself, assisted the monastery when needed.

In the mid 12th century, two formalities of the royal Serbian house with the solitary names Savas and Simeon, arrived and lived in the abbey: They were Rastko and Stefanos Nemania, son and father, founders then of the Abbey Helandariou and leading Saints of the Serbian church. Sources of the 13th century (2nd half) result in that the Abbey suffered big destructions from western invaders, during the Frago Occupation, and only after the sponsoring of Byzantine kings could it be restored.

Also remarkable is the caring by Zervon sovereigns, such as Stefanos Dusan in the mid 14th century, which continued in to the 15th. The solitary life that was exercised in the Abbey Helandariou had not been forgotten. This is why this monastery is considered to have been the first Abbey that imported the idiorythmic way of life (mid 14th century). After transformations in the 17th century though, it remained a way of life up to fairly recent. In 1989 however this abbey also reverted to the cenobitic way.

In the current architectural form of the Abbey's grounds, strengthened with powerful towers, encompass a comfortable courtyard, where you would find, apart from the catholic and opposite that the dining room, the oldest dated bell tower on Mount Athos (1426), two wall painted chapels and various other buildings.

From the many icons this Abbey possesses, very well known are the icons of the Virgin Mary with the title: "Eleovritis ", "Ktitorisa", "Vimatarissa", as well as the wall paintings of: "Tales", "Antifonitria" and "Esfagmeni". The abbey also has many other precious other heirlooms.

Monastery Stavronikita

Founded: End of 10th century
Founder: Monks Stavros and Nikitas
Feast-day: 6th of December
Library: Rare illuminated manuscripts. Particularly No. 43 of the 10th century
Collection: The portable icons of "The Dodecaorton"

The Monastery Stavronikita is located on the NE coast, in between the most remote Monasteries of M. Lavras and Esfigmenou. Even though "small in every sense" its wellshaped figure and elegant architecture stands out on the edge of a rock.A castle proud and at the same time enclosed .All its needs had to be economised in the closed and narrow space. However, it does not have the feeling of being crowded , because the Monastery "opens up " with a rich view , towards the sea from the balconies and towards the mountainsides from its wide hospitable courtyard.

The existence of a small abbey with the name "Stravonikita" is certified in the beginning of the 11th century, while with the name "Stavroanikitou", from which the name"Stavronikita" prevailed, it is presented during the mid 12th century. After that a period of disappearance not unreasonable follows if you consider the unfavourable conditions during the Frago Occupation and the raids against the coastal, in particular, monasteries. Deserted by its monks, it devolved and was granted over to the jurisdiction of the Protos ,as it was normal then .He in turn undertook maintainance in 1287.Its tower,as everyone knows ,was extremely essential for the safety of Karies and inner land.

Its historical flow can be better accounted for from after the 16th century. In 1533, the monk Grigorios (who had been an abbot in the monastery of Giromeriou in Thespotia) bought from the Abbey Filotheou "since ancient times" an absolutely ruined building. The work of rectification, however, with which he occupied himself with , was not completed because of his death in 1538. But also a fire that burst out,completely ruined all the buildings.

After that the Mount Athos sinaxis turned to the Patriarch Ieremia and requested him to undertake the role of the new keeper . This was answered with a lot of zeal.

Written testimonies that are associated with the building history of this Abbey,inform us of the following: in 1607 a fire burst out which destroyed the buildings of the Abbey. Immediate action was undertaken for the repairing and the re-establishment. In 1627-1628 renovation took place in the catholic, according to a sign. In 1630 authorisation was given by the Turkish administration for the construction of enclose walls. In 1667 the chapel dedicated to the Archangels was built. During the reign of the Vlahian sovereign Serban Kantakouzinou {1679-1688) and with his own financing, the Abbey's aqueduct was built . Various work was executed with the income of the Abbey of Saint Apostles in Bucharest, which was handed over to the Abbey of Stavronikita by the Vlahian souvereign Alexandros Gikas (1727-1740).

In 1741, according to handwritten remembrance, the Monastery "was burnt", while in 1743 it the alter of the catholic was built. In 1770 and according to a sign, the dining room is renovated. During the period of the Greek revolution the monks abandon the Abbey, in order to to rescue themselves and only to return in 1830, when they commit themselves to the effort of re-establishment of the damage and to the construction of new buildings. Only after the second half of the 19th century the Abbey is affected three times by fire. The one in 1879 was perhaps the worst . Today a huge project is taking place in order to strengthen the big rock on which the abbey was built .

Monastery Simonos Petra

Founded: Middle of 14th century
Founder: Blessed Simon
Feast-day: 25th of December
Library: Very few manuscripts due the to a fire in the 17th century
Collection: Portable icons of the 14th century. Art objects of wood-carving and metallurgy

Further south along the south-western coast and after the habour of Dafne , pops up suddenly, as if hanging by stone heigh above ,the towered monastery of Simonos Petras. Founded on an abrupt rock, so much as 300 metres above the sea, it seems to dify the laws of gravity and built beyond the limits of human labour. This is something only someone understands better when he dares to climb up from the tarsana towards the monastery .

A definition in the file of the Abbey Saint Panteleimonos, indicating the Abbey of "Simonos" in two documents dating back to the 11th and 12th century, led students to the opinion that the Abbey has ancient roots , and that after a long period of dissappearance (desolation), it was revived by Osio Simona ,who's name proves the initial owner. This opinion presupposes that no other abbey preexisted with the same name in another area. Other students consider that there were two different monasteries with the same name. According to the Life of Osio Simonos the admired reconstruction on the steep rock was attempted after a divine indication: a star lowered and shone above on the Stone, and from then on it also aquired the name "New Bethlehem".

The chrysobull of Ioannis Ouglesis,which was published near 1368 and is saved in reliable condition , convinces that the Serb souvereign was the next owner (after Osios Simonas ). According to this text, he asked for authorisation from the Sinaxis in order to erect buildings on that "deserted place".

The work took place in the decade 1360, but traces of the first erection are barely visible nowadays because of the destructions and the repeated renovations that followed: the Abbey, built as a fortress high above on the rock, could easily escape pirate threats, but it could not be rescued from the disaster of fire. According to remembrances written on a manuscript, fires burst out, in 1580,.1592, 1625 etc.... Particularly devastating for the Abbey was the fire of 1891. The weakness in reestablishment from these catastrophies , led to the creation of the idiorythmic way of monastic life for many years.During the last centuries it went through a lot of stages : from wretched poverty and desolation to rich and prosperous. The buildings, that determine the architectural form of Simonos Petras , are work that took place between 1862-1902, as they are certified by the wall signs. But not absent are material evidences of older building phases, that reach far back to the Byzantine period.