Hollywood star Mel Gibson has traveled to the remote Hilandar Monastery on Mount Athos in Greece recently for a deeply personal spiritual retreat.
The famous American actor and director is planning to spend several days at the sacred Orthodox Christian site before returning to the US next week.
According to several Greek outlets, upon arriving at the monastery, Gibson told the monastery monks that he had never felt such a strong connection to God anywhere as he had on Mount Athos.
Why is Mount Athos in Greece important to Mel Gibson
Gibson’s journey to this isolated peninsula isn’t entirely surprising given his outspoken Christian beliefs. The 68-year-old has never shied away from discussing faith. Millions of fans still remember his controversial 2004 film “The Passion of the Christ” and how connected his image is to Christ.
During a recent appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Gibson didn’t hold back when discussing Hollywood’s relationship with Christianity. He argued that Christianity faces unique hostility in the entertainment world, calling it the only religion that’s “allowed to be treated with contempt” by industry insiders. Gibson blamed what he sees as Hollywood’s progressive leadership for creating an environment where Christianity gets attacked for supposedly representing “white race, patriarchy and colonialism.”
“I’ve never felt such a strong connection with God anywhere like I did here.”
— Mel Gibson, during his visit to the Hilandar Monastery on Mount Athos ☦️ pic.twitter.com/I3GEyYRGiT— Andres (@orthodoxandres) June 27, 2025
The Hilandar Monastery, where Gibson, is staying, holds special significance in the Orthodox world. This Orthodox stronghold was established in 1198 by Saint Sava and his father, Stefan Nemanja, who later became known as Saint Symeon the Myrrh-gusher. For centuries, it has been a crucial center for Serbian religious and cultural life within the Orthodox monastic community of Greece’s Mount Athos.
Mount Athos is a multi-ethnic monastic community under the spiritual jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Most of its monastic communities are Greek, but it also includes monasteries belonging to other Eastern Orthodox traditions such as Russian, Serbian, Bulgarian, and Romanian.
The mystery of Mount Athos
Mount Athos is a place Greeks call Agio Oros, or the “Holy Mountain.” It’s hard to believe such a world exists today—twenty ancient monasteries scattered across a stunning peninsula, home to over 2,000 monks who have abandoned everything to live a life of pure devotion to God.
The story goes back to the ninth century when the first hermits arrived there seeking God in solitude. What they built has lasted for more than a thousand years. The monasteries of Mount Athos have monks from all corners of the world: Greeks rubbing shoulders with Russians, French, British, Georgians working alongside Bulgarians, even Americans who have made this remote corner their permanent home.
The monks here live completely cut off from our world with no connection to the chaos outside. They wake before dawn for prayers, look after gardens and workshops, create everything from wine to wooden crafts that somehow find their way to markets in the outside world. It’s a life most of us cannot even imagine.
The treasures hidden in these monasteries are stunning. From manuscripts that predate the printing press to artwork that would make it to the most renowned museums and documents that chronicle centuries of Christian history. UNESCO recognized all this in 1988, but the monks were here long before any international organization took notice. The most remarkable claim is that somewhere in these walls rest the actual gifts the Magi brought to baby Jesus.
What makes Mount Athos special is that, according to tradition, only one woman has set foot on Mount Athos for over a thousand years: Virgin Mary. The “avaton” bans women from entering the peninsula, as the entire area is devoted to the Virgin Mary.
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