Mount Athos and the peninsula of the same name are located in northern Greece. For centuries, they have served as a refuge for hermits. Among the local population, only men are monks and novices, for whom service of God has become the purpose of life.
The country of monks is unique. Although Athos is located in Greece, it is actually an independent state. It has its own legislation. All the most important decisions are made by Protat, the supreme organ of the monastic republic. The monks live not according to the Gregorian, but according to the Julian calendar.
Monastic abode
The Svyatogorsk residents got the right to independence back in 676, when the Byzantine emperor Konstantin Pogonat transferred the peninsula to the monks' personal property. Athos was turned into a monastic abode in 692. The special status of the island was approved by Vasily the Great.
It is known that Russian monks were present on Mount Athos in the XI century. Anthony Pechersky went to the Holy Mountain in about 1011 and stayed here. Since the 15th century, the princes of Moscow have provided assistance to the monastery (Russik), which was transferred to the Russians in 1169. According to historical sources, at the end of the XVI century the monastery was in ruins. At the beginning of the XIX century it was rebuilt again.
Russians on Athos
More than 150 years ago, the settlement of the Ilyinsky monastery by Russian pilgrims began. Around this time, a trip to Athos was made by merchants Tolmachev and Vavilov, who acquired the cell of Anthony the Great. This began the foundation of the Russian St. Andrew’s Skete, named after the spiritual writer A. Muravyov.
In the second half of the XIX century, shipping communication was developed throughout the world. A large number of Russian Orthodox traveled to Mount Athos. Many pilgrims remained on the peninsula, while not losing Russian citizenship. In 1885, Metropolitan Arseniy wrote about his trip to Athos in his article.
Not all clergy in Russia approved of such trips. So, Metropolitan Filaret believed that trips to Mount Athos are not needed, they are not useful. Seraphim of Sarov adhered to a similar point of view.
Athos in the 20th century
In 1912, the peninsula passed into the civil jurisdiction of the Greek kingdom. Uncontrolled trips to Mount Athos from Moscow, St. Petersburg and other Russian cities have stopped. At the beginning of World War I, 90 novices of the Russian monastery were mobilized. This event generated a rumor: the Russian government is sending spies to the peninsula under the guise of monks.
After the Civil War, Russian entry was banned. And not only for citizens of the USSR. Until 1955, representatives of the Russian emigration did not make trips to Mount Athos. There were, of course, exceptions. For example, Vasily Krivoshein, who lived on the peninsula for more than twenty years.
In the early 70s, Russian monasticism on Mount Athos began to revive. In 1972, the patriarch Pimen visited the peninsula . Today in Russia there is a society that includes Orthodox Christians who have made a pilgrimage to Mount Athos.
Settlements
The journey through Athos begins in the small Greek port city of Uranopol, from where boats depart to various places of the holy mountain. To get to the peninsula, a Schengen visa is not enough. It is also necessary to obtain a diamonitirion, that is, permission to stay on Mount Athos. With this document, you can travel to holy places for four days. It can be extended in one of the monasteries with the blessing of the abbot.
All boats follow to the city where the customs is located. From there, pilgrims usually depart for the capital of Athos Karei. In a small town has its own post office, bank, bus station, shops, cafes. But there is no fuss, calm and peace reigns.
There are forty settlements on the peninsula. Among them: Vulevtiriya, Daphne, Kapsala, Dohiar, Iversky, Zograf. There are twenty monasteries. Three of them are non-Greek (Russian, Bulgarian and Serbian).
Diamonitirion
Is it possible to make a trip to Athos on your own? Of course. However, companies organizing pilgrimage tours solve a number of issues, especially with the documents necessary for this trip. As already mentioned, you need to have not only a visa, but also a special permission.
"Diamonitirion" is a word that is used exclusively in the context of a pilgrimage tour to Mount Athos. This written permission is required for all guests of the Holy Mountain. Not only Orthodox can get it - any man, regardless of religion. First, you should apply for a visit to the Holy Mountain to one of the Athos monasteries or to the Bureau of Pilgrims in Thessaloniki.
Bureau of pilgrims in Thessaloniki
Permission is easy to obtain. But there is a "limit" - 110 pilgrims. Of course, on holidays there are more people who want to get to the peninsula than on ordinary days. Those who traveled to Mount Athos, in their reviews of this trip, claim that an Orthodox person who is not suspicious will easily receive permission.
Some pilgrims call the bureau in advance. But you have to talk on the phone in English or Greek. High probability of rejection at Easter. The diamonitirion itself is issued in an organization located in Uranopolis. Upon receipt, you will need to pay a state fee of 25 euros.
Bureau address: Thessaloniki, ul. Egnatia, house 109. The organization works from 8.30 to 14.00, except Saturday, Sunday and the days on which the main Orthodox holidays fall.
Diamonitirion receive in the morning, on the eve of departure to the peninsula. There are two types of such documents: general, individual. The first are issued by the Bureau of Pilgrims for four days. The second - the monastery itself for an unlimited period. Having individual permission, the pilgrim has the right to spend the night not only in the monastery that issued him this document, but also in any other Athos.
Priests and laity receive different diamonitirions. The first, in addition, on Athos show permission from the Patriarchate of Constantinople.
In Uranopolis
This picturesque town is located on the shore of the Gulf of Singit. A daily steamer departs from here to Daphne. Prior to his departure, the pilgrim must appear for the diamonitirion at Grafio Proskiniton, an office that works from seven in the morning until two in the afternoon. Those who arrive in the evening in this city, first of all find a hotel. But it is better to turn to private owners who rent housing. In Uranopolis, you can visit the temple, local attractions. There are a lot of small cozy cafes and a nice beach. It is worth remembering that swimming on Athos is strictly prohibited. Just like listening to music, and other worldly pursuits.
Ferries from Uranopolis depart to the peninsula according to the following schedule:
- "Agia Anna" - 06:30.
- Mikra Agia Anna - 08:00.
- "Agia Sofia" - 08:45.
- “Agios Panteleimon” - 09:45.
- “Agia Sofia” -10: 45.
- “Micra Agia Anna” - 11:45.
Experienced pilgrims are advised to go to Agios Panteleimon. This ferry is easier to buy a ticket, and from the lower deck it offers a magnificent view of the Athos shores. To Daphne, the ship goes a little over two hours. It is better to book a ticket to Agia Anna in advance by calling the shipping company.
Pilgrimage Tours
The organization of a trip to the Holy Mountain is carried out by Orthodox travel agencies. They select convenient flight options, departure and return dates. Based on the wishes of the client, the company employees book a hotel room in Uranopolis and overnight in one of the Athos monasteries. For those who are going to travel to the Holy Mountain for the first time and do not yet have information about their stay on the peninsula, several pilgrimage options are offered.
Travel by individual authorization can last from one to two weeks. The cost of a trip to Athos is 485 euros. The number of days the pilgrim chooses himself. For the first trip, according to the recommendations of travel agencies, a week is enough.
The cost of the company’s services includes assistance in obtaining a visa, a flight from Moscow to Thessaloniki, then from Thessaloniki to Uranopolis, accommodation in two hotels (in Uranopolis and Thessaloniki). Consultation and overnight reservations at the monastery are free.
According to reviews, the first trip is best to trust the guides. This will allow you to visit different places of Athos and more than five monasteries in just three to four days.