Monastic community of Mount Athos

The monastic community spans 335 square kilometers across the Athos Peninsula, containing twenty monasteries that house 2,000 Eastern Orthodox monks from multiple nations.

The first monastic charter of Mount Athos, signed in 972, established governing principles and rights for monks under Byzantine authority, creating an autonomous religious territory.

Each monastery maintains collections of medieval manuscripts, religious artifacts, and Byzantine art while following traditional Orthodox practices through daily prayer and work routines.

Male visitors require special permits called diamonitirion to enter Mount Athos, with daily quotas limiting the number of Orthodox and non-Orthodox pilgrims.

The territory operates under the Julian calendar and maintains a ban on women and female animals, making it the largest area in Europe with continuous gender restrictions.

Location: Greece

Capital city: Karyes

Website: https://www.mountathos.org/el-GR/Home.aspx

Part of: Eastern Orthodox Church, Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, Eastern Orthodoxy

Shares border with: Aristotelis Municipality

Website: https://mountathos.org/el-GR/Home.aspx

GPS coordinates: 40.26190,24.24420

Latest update: May 28, 2025 18:12