Mount Athos

The Holy Mountain · Greece

Orthodox
since 963

Since 963, when Athanasius founded the Great Lavra, monks have lived on this mountainous peninsula in northern Greece. There are now twenty monasteries and many small hermitages, where some 2,000 monks pray day and night. The Holy Mountain governs itself within Greece and is the spiritual heart of Orthodoxy. Most visitors see the monasteries from a boat sailing along the coast.

Did you know?

Women have not been allowed on the peninsula for over a thousand years. Men also need a special permit.

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Sources

Monastic life on Mount Athos · Wikipedia

Also on the map

MeteoraMonasteries in the sky · Greece · 14th century