Iviron Monastery, Orthodox monastery on Mount Athos, Greece

Iviron Monastery is a walled Orthodox monastery on the northeast coast of the Athos peninsula, built on the ruins of the ancient city of Cleonae. Its long facades of weathered gray stone carry rows of rectangular windows under reddish-orange tiled roofs, with two domes and a tall square tower with a pyramidal roof rising above. The complex is arranged like a four-sided fortress with high walls and loopholes, and the catholicon, dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos, stands within.

Founded in 980–983 by the Georgian monk John of Iviron, who had earlier served at the Great Lavra, the monastery was built with funds from the Georgian Bagrationi royal house on the ruins of ancient Kleoni, where a sanctuary of Poseidon once stood. In 1259 unionists largely destroyed it; Latin attacks followed in 1285 and Catalan pirates ravaged it in 1306. A patriarchal decree transferred it to Greek administration in 1357.

The monastery's name comes from Iberia, the Greek term for Georgia, since Georgian monks founded it. Its library holds about 2,000 manuscripts and 20,000 printed books, mostly in Georgian, Greek, Hebrew and Latin. The wonder-working Iveron icon of the Mother of God, called the Portaitissa or Gate-Keeper and venerated since the 9th century, is kept in a chapel by the gates; tradition says the monk Gabriel found it on the water in 1004.

Only male visitors are permitted to enter the peninsula, and they must obtain permission that needs to be requested several weeks in advance. Long trousers and clothing that covers arms and shoulders are required inside the monastery walls.

The gate of the complex closes in the evening and opens again the following morning, making life inside the walls follow a fixed rhythm. The grounds hold several chapels outside the main church, some of which display their own frescoes from different centuries.