Monastery Filotheou

Founded: And of 10th century
Founder: Blessed Filotheos
Feast-day: 25th of March
Library: 250 manuscripts
Collection: Double-sided icon depicting on one side "The Mother of God with Infant Christ" and on the other "The Crucifixion"

 

On a tall plateau,south of the Abbey of Iviron, surrounded by dense vegetation and irrigated from rich sources is the monastery of Filotheou. It is built facing the Northern Aegean Sea and Thassos. The most ancient indication of this Abbey, exists in a document from 1015 in which the "Monk and abbot of Filothoeu Giorgos" signed . The conclusion from testimonies of other sources is that the Abbey it was founded alot earlier,in the 10th century, by Osios Filotheou a follower of Saint Athanassios(founder of Megistis Lavras).As things result from a document in 1017, Filotheou is identified with the Abbey of Pteris: "Pteris ruled the Filotheou", a monastery which was functioning already by 10th century and adopted the name perhaps from the plants that flourishes in that area.

Among the Byzantine emperors, Nikiforos the Votaniatian the 3rd (1078-1081),was the one that financed the work of construction, and with the encouragement of Andronikos Paleologos the 2nd and for that reason he was selected as the intellectual (father) of the royal abbot house.

Andronikos, apart from the benefit of submitting an annual subscription of ten big talanton (ancient currency), he donated to the Abbey,wish of the royal abbot family, the right hand of Saint Ioannis Chrisostomou.

During the period of the Turkish domination, the Abbey presented two big intellectual statures with "out of Mount Athos interests".In the 16th century, Dionisios , known as "from Olimpou", and in the 18th century,Kosmas of Etolou,who was honoured as an apostle for the awaking teachings : he founded more than 1.000 schools and he acted in a period when the extended Turkish oppression began to bend the resistance of the slaves.

In 1871 the Abbey suffered badly from a fire.From the reconstruction which began immediately after ,the wings were reconstructed , creating squared grounds almost complete, except that is to say from the western department of the northern wing that was completed in the decade of 1990, with a building that accomodates the library and treasury.