Monastery Agios Panteleimonos

Founded: Beginning of 11th century
Founder: Unknown (from Thessaloniki)
Feast-day: 27th of July
Library: 1300 Greek manuscripts and 600 Slavic manuscripts
Collection: The iconostasis and the frescoes of the Russian School (19th century)

The Abbey of St. Panteleimonos is built more closer to Karies on the SW side of the coast.Its architecture, differs compared to all the other monasteries: a number of multi storied buildings, scattered round the narrower initial grounds, show that they violated the initial provision of the Abbeys. They are buildings from the 19th century and upto the beginning of the 20th with a newer view for the Mt.Athos structural perception and form. The most characteristic however and declaration of the nationality of monks that live there is the form of the bulb-type domes.

The Abbey with the name St. Panteleimonos was transported to this place during the 18th century. Russians first appear on Mt. Athos during the 11th century. In a document dated back to 1016 it was refered to as the "abbey of Rouson". However, the history of this Abbey shows initiative in 1169, when the Abbey of Xilourgos (Carpenter), which for the first time was named "Abbey of Rouson ", was granted the Abbey of Thesalonikeos / St. Panteleimonos in order not to be ruined,in the spot where the current "Paleomonastiro"(old monastery ) stands . After this concession, the name of "Thessalonikeos" prevails slowly - slowly to: " Of The Rouson" or " The Rouson". For one entire century after this manning ,not one document was saved from its files. As it appears,they had been burned, at all probability by the Katalonians -together with the Monastery.

During the 14th century the presence of Serbs is particularly perceptible in the Abbey, therefore we see it accepting the benefactions of the Serbian King Stefanos Dusan, also by the Byzantine leaders Ioannis 5th and Manouel 2nd . The Greek presence is also testified . Only at the end of the 14th century are the relations between Russians with Mt. Athos restored, however in the beginning of 15th century the Serbian element appears to be redundant.What ever the case all representatives of this abbey signed in Greek after the 2nd half of the 15th century. Russian souvereigns show interest after the exemption of Russia from the Moggolian Occupation in 1480.

During the 2nd half of the 16th century, the Abbey is presented half deserted , for one decade deserted, and by the end in wretched poverty. Such misfortunate situations accompany it through the 17th century and until the middle of the 18th century. The Russian monk Vasilios Barski finds the Abbey in 1744 devastated and the Russian presence only in name,since he did not find one Russian monk living there .

In 1760-65 the Monastery is transported to the new, current place, where it began an effort in rectification. In 1803 the cenobitic way of life is restored with first abbot, Sava Peloponnesian, who helped considerably with the restablishment of the Abbey.

Decisive importance for her appointment was the brave sponsoring of Skarlatou Kallimahi, a Moldovlahian souvereign. The sign in typical agioritiko catholic - even in the form of the dome - (1812-1821) cites his subscription: "this the Gods and....... temple of Saint Panteleimonos was erected from pedestals, as well as.....holy and respectfully ,this Abbey selected Russian, under...".

After the absence of the Russian element for about a century later, in 1835 began the massive attendance of new monks from Russia, so that by the middle of the 19th century Greek and Russian monks are equal in number. It is then established the performance of sequences would be alternately in Greek and in Russian. The 2nd half of the 19th century is characterized by the increase of Russians (and the construction of the enormous buildings that were mentioned at the beginning ), with tendencies of predominance throughout the entire monastic republic.

Monastery Osiou Grigoriou

Founded: Beginning of 11th century
Founder: Unknown (from Thessaloniki)
Feast-day: 27th of July
Library: 1300 Greek manuscripts and 600 Slavic manuscripts
Collection: The iconostasis and the frescoes of the Russian School (19th century)

The Monastery Osiou Grigoriou is located directly southeast of Simonos Petras .It seems raised on a rocky, multifarious piece of land and as if a powerful hand is holding it in place . At the end of the well constructed pebbled street which begins down by the tarsana and runs through a thick cypress forest,is the smalll marble entance to the courtyard.

The foundation of this Abbey was in the beginning of the 14th century and is attributed to Osios Grigorios the Young who was a student of the well known religious teacher Grigorios of Sinaitou. The first indications that certify its existence, are seen in documents from the first half of the 14th century. Positive information of its following history is absent to us for a big interval.Sure news was reported in 1500,claiming there was devastating arsony, extermination of monks and desolation of the Abbey, after wild piratical raids. However, later in a document of the Sinaxis in 1513, there are reports on the reconstruction of new buildings, with sponsoring from the then souvereign of Moldavia Stefanos and the guardianship of the abbot Spiridonos.During this period (16th century) it is also reported that the northern (bisector two pipe) wing with the old pylon, the belltower, the tower and others were built .A series of documents from the 17th century,are based on the delimitation of its region of belongings that stretch north further inland and as far as to the adjacent abbey of Esfigmenou on the other side of the peninsula.

The Russian monk and pilgrim of Mount Athos Vasili Barski, gives an interesting description on the shape of the Monastery before the middle of the 18th century. In 1761 a big fire burned most of the buildings and destroyed the catholic. For her rectification, leading role had the monk and guard Ioakim Vesmintarios. The reconstruction of the new catholic began around I 770. Serious damage was also caused to the Abbey from the Greek Revolution in 1821, when installed there, as well as in other abbeys, were teams of Turks (who burnt old books etc). Towards the end of the 19th century new buildings were erected in the west and in the north, which, surrounding a new courtyard, contributed in the almost doubling of the preexisting Abbey (eg the arhontariki: 1892, the new gateway entrance in the shape of a square : 1896). the buildings in the Tarsana have been transformed into guest houses and quarters , because of the insufficiency of space inside the Abbey. Among the wearthy heirlooms that this monastery has ,we must report the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary, known within the abbey as the Virgin Mary of Paleologinas ,similar to the icon of Odigitrias(She who leads) , on which the words "In honor of the respected Lady Maria Asaninas Paleologinas ,Lady of Moldovlahias"are quoted.

Monastery Megisti Lavra

Founded: 963 A.D.
Founder: Blessed Athanasios
Feast-day: 5th of July
Library: 2.000 manuscripts
Collection: 2.500 Icons

The Monastery of Megisti Lavra (or Great Lavra) is built on the south-eastern end of the Athos Peninsula and is the earliest and biggest foundation on Mount Athos. It was founded by the monk Athanasios the Athonite during the years of the Emperors Romanos the Second and Nikephoros Phocas. He is considered to be the founder of Athonite monasticism and the Holy Monastery of Great Lavra is the mother monastery of Mount Athos.

The monastery occupies the first rank in the hierarchical order of the twenty Athonite monasteries. It is inhabited by 317 monks (1990), the most in comparison to the other monasteries, and is coenobitic (communal).

It features the shape of a small medieval town, is surrounded by a strong fortress with 15 towers. Inside and outside these towers there are 37 chapels, many independent kellia, three sketae (Saint John the Baptist, Saint Anne and Kavsokalyvia) and regions of kalyve.

The katholikon has served as a model for all the katholika of the Athonite monasteries. It was built in 963 by Athanasios. It is a four-columned church with a dome. Restoration works performed at later times gave the church a cross-like shape. First it was dedicated to the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, but in the 15th century it was dedicated to Saint Athanasios Athonite. The katholikon is frescoed in the 16th century, by Theophanes the Cretan, a famous representative of the Cretan painting school. Left and right of the eso-narthex are two chapels dedicated to Saint Nicholas and to the Forty Martyrs. The tomb of Saint Athanasios is lying in the chapel of Forty Martyrs.

The most important of all the other chapels are these of Saint George, Saint Athanasios and of Virgin Koukouzelissa. The Phiale, the basin for the blessing of the waters stands outside the main entrance of the Katholikon. It is the oldest and the biggest in Athos. Just opposite the entrance of the Katholikon is the refectory, frescoed by Cretan painters.

The library contains 2,046 manuscripts, 165 codices and 30,000 printed books. The treasury is very rich. It houses the crown and sakkos (liturgical vestment) of Nikephoros Phocas, ecclesiastical plates, sacerdotal vestments, the relics of many saints, etc.