Agion Oros - Mount Athos

With reverence and according to Mount Athos tradition, the new new school year was commenced at the Athonias Ecclesiastical Academy.  The Divine Liturgy marking the feast day of the worldwide Exaltation of the Holy Cross was celebrated in the academy's chapel. The Liturgy was lead by Hieromonk Timothy of Vatopediou Monastery, the curator of the Academy. Co-celebrants were Hieromonk Ierotheos of Simonopetra Monastery, Archimandrite Efraim, Abbot of St. Andrews Skete (Sarai), Archimandrite Ierotheos the Dean of the academy, Hieromonks Filotheos and Antonios also from St. Andrews Skete (Sarai) and Hieromonk Artemios, the geronta of the Holy Cell of St. Nicholas.(Dionysiou) The chanting during the Divine Liturgy was done by students of the Academy. Many monks from the surrounding area, many pilgrims as well as the entire brotherhood of St. Andrews Skete, were present for the duration of the Divine Liturgy.  After the Liturgy, the Dean of the Academy along with the teachers...

The Seal of Athonias Ecclesiastical Academy. On the Holy Mountain, over various periods many schools operated with the name "Athonias School". In the Holy Monastery of Megisti Lavra, Saint Athanasios the Athonite is the first to create a school. Until this day the monks of Lavra Monastery call the area of the Monastery where the classes were held, "school". However, the first well organised school, according to information contained in manuscripts, is established during the period of the 13th century at the height of the literary and artistic movement of the Paleologian period. It was based at the Holy Kellion of St. John the Theologian and was named "Theological School of Iveron"«Ιβηριτική  Θεολογική σχολή». All classes and subjects were taught in Greek.  In the 17th century, we see an intense effort by papists to establish a school and a monastery on Mount Athos. Our Holy and Great Church of Christ managed to avoid the pressure and with many efforts e...

See the complete account here:  http://www.doing.li/?p=9

One of the most significant characteristics of Agion Oros is that the Monasteries do not change much in appearance, as you will witness with the below drawing and photos. Below is a drawing and photos of the Holy Monastery of Stavronikita. The first image was drawn in 1744 and the last photo was taken a couple of months ago. The below image was drawn by Barski in 1744: The below photo was taken by Sevastianov in 1858 - 1861: The below photo was taken by Millet in 1917:  The below image was taken by German soldiers in 1942: And finally an image of the Monastery taken this year:  See original article in Greek:  http://agioritikesmnimes.pblogs.gr/2010/09/1483-iera-monh-stayronikhta.html

A centuries old tradition says that at each of the feast days of the Holy Monastery of Vatopediou and Holy Monastery of Chilandariou the Abbot of each Monastery is invited to lead the festivities of the others Monastery.  This tradition has lasted due to the close historical relationship shared by the two monasteries which begins in the year 1198 when the Vatopediou Monastery donated  a portion of their land in order for the Serbs to rebuild the Monastery of Chilandariou.  The Monk Dorotheos in his book "Holy Mountain" describes what happened as follows: HOLY MONASTERY OF CHILANDARIOU . ..Before the Serbs arrived the Monastery is named  « του Σωτήρος» "The Saviour's" and takes part in the joint signing of all Abbots on various documents with the last one in the year 1169:  «Γεράσιμος μοναχός και καθηγούμενος του Χελανδαρίου» "Monk Gerasimos and Abbot of Chelandariou" The Monastery undergoes a period of abandonment and as a result it comes under th...

Day Seven: Tuesday, 19 June — Agia Anna to Simonopetra Breakfast this morning was exceptionally spare, just a little bread and water, which we supplemented with some dried fruit and a few nuts from our backpacks. Actually there were also a few pieces of Turkish delight, apparently left over from yesterday’s hospitality for arriving pilgrims; this ubiquitous Athonite sweet, which is traditionally served to newcomers along with little cups of water, coffee, and ouzo, is in my opinion rather like lemon- or cherry-flavored Elmer’s glue even when it is fresh, so I decided to pass! We stopped briefly to visit a tiny grotto—just below the guesthouse— that had belonged to Saint Gerasimos (1506-79) before making our way down the several hundred steps to the  arsanas . As we were waiting for the ferry that would take us further along the coast to Simonopetra, a large supply boat docked. A truck piled high with bales of hay was the first to come off, followed by a n...

The oldest of the following photos dates back to the late 19th century. Thanks to Keliotes. http://agioritikesmnimes.pblogs.gr/