Calamos Supports Greece

Mount Athos

The Greek Orthodox Monk Who Died Without Ever Seeing a Woman

A Greek Orthodox monk on Mount Athos, the center of Orthodox monasticism, died at the age of 82 without ever seeing a woman. This is the story of Michael Tolotos. Born around 1856, Tolotos faced a tragic start to his...

Mystery Over Woman’s Remains at Men-Only Mount Athos, Greece

Mystery surrounds the remains of a woman discovered in 2019 who was buried centuries ago at the cemetery of Pantokratoros Monastery on Mount Athos. The Greek "Holy Mountain" with its nearly 1,800-year continuous Christian presence is home to twenty monasteries,...

The Ancient Snake-eaters of Mount Athos, Greece

Legends, myths, mystical creatures, and now-forgotten customs all lend a spectacular context to Greek mythology. History and mythology have always walked similar and common paths. Legends were, in fact, always born where myth was colored by actual events. So today...

Alexander the Great and the Eighth Wonder of Ancient World

Alexander the Great is said to have rejected a colossal project proposed by his architect and technical advisor Dinocrates to sculpt Mount Athos. The architectural proposal which, if it had been carried out, would perhaps have been the eighth wonder...

The Greek Monk Who Brought Mount Athos Cuisine to the World

Father Epiphanios of Mylopotamos was the Greek monk who first brought Mount Athos cuisine to the world. The author of the book "The Cuisine of Holy Mount Athos" made monastic cooking, based mostly on fish and legumes, an important addition...

Ten of Greece’s Most Spectacular Monasteries

Greece has many beautiful sights for you to check out while you are visiting the country. One thing you want to be sure to add to your itinerary is visiting some of the ancient, historical Greek monasteries. Here are ten...

The Mt. Athos Academy that Preserved Greek Identity Under the Ottomans

The historic Athonite or Athonias Academy at Mount Athos, the Holy Mountain of Orthodoxy, was instrumental in promoting Christianity and the Greek identity during the dark times of Ottoman rule. The educational institution founded in 1749 as a dependency of...

The Gifts of the Three Magi: The Most Precious Relics on Mount Athos

Among the innumerable treasures and holy relics preserved at the Holy Monastery of St. Paul on Mt. Athos (in Greek Άγιον Όρος, meaning "Holy Mountain") one of the most precious, and invaluable to Greek Orthodoxy, are the Holy Gifts...

Mount Athos: A Monastic Community Where Time Stands Still

Mount Athos, referred to in Greek as the "Holy Mountain", is one of the most important centers of the Christian Orthodox world. Home to twenty monasteries under the direct jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, it is governed as...

Lost Cell of Ukrainian Saint Paisius Discovered on Greece’s Mount Athos

Remains of cells once lived in by the Ukrainian Orthodox saint, Paisius Velichkovsky (also spelled, Paisii Velichkovsky), have been discovered on Greece's monastic community of Mount Athos. The recently rediscovered cell consists of a small stone monastic hut. According to...