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.