Mount Athos
History
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...
Greek church
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...
Greek church
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...
Ancient Greece
Why Alexander the Great Ditched Plan for Ancient Wonder on Mount Athos
Alexander the Great is said to have rejected a colossal project proposed by his architect and technical adviser Dinocrates to engrave Mount Athos.
The architectural proposal which, if it had been carried out would perhaps have been the eighth wonder...
Greece
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...
Greece
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...
Europe
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...
Culture
The Monk Who Waves the Greek Flag at Fighter Jets
A Greek monk at Mount Athos, the holy mountain of Orthodoxy, has been waving the Greek flag for years. He does so each time a military plane passes over his monastery.
Whenever Monk Joseph hears the sound of an aircraft,...
Greek church
Mount Athos Relic Arrives in Athens for Public Veneration
The Holy Belt of Virgin Mary arrived from Mount Athos to the Athens port of Piraeus for public veneration on Saturday.
Ancient Greece
The 18 UNESCO Heritage Monuments of Greece
Greece has 18 World Heritage Monuments in its territory according to UNESCO the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.
World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, scientific or other forms of significance. The sites are...