Mount Athos (; el, Ἄθως, ) is a mountain in the distal part of the eponymous
Athos peninsula and site of an important centre of
Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism.
Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or " canonical ...
monasticism in northeastern
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...
. The mountain along with the respective part of the peninsula have been governed as the
monastic community of Mount Athos, an
autonomous region
An autonomous administrative division (also referred to as an autonomous area, entity, unit, region, subdivision, or territory) is a subnational administrative division or internal territory of a sovereign state that has a degree of autonomy� ...
within the Hellenic Republic, ecclesiastically under the direct jurisdiction of the
Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
The ecumenical patriarch ( el, Οἰκουμενικός Πατριάρχης, translit=Oikoumenikós Patriárchēs) is the archbishop of Constantinople ( Istanbul), New Rome and '' primus inter pares'' (first among equals) among the heads of ...
, while the remainder of the peninsula forms part of the
Aristotelis municipality. Mount Athos has been inhabited since ancient times and is known for its long Christian presence and historical monastic traditions, which date back to at least AD 800 and the
Byzantine era
The Byzantine calendar, also called the Roman calendar, the Creation Era of Constantinople or the Era of the World ( grc, Ἔτη Γενέσεως Κόσμου κατὰ Ῥωμαίους, also or , abbreviated as ε.Κ.; literal translation of ...
. Because of its long history of religious importance, the well-preserved agrarian architecture within the monasteries, and the preservation of the flora and fauna around the mountain, Mount Athos was inscribed on the
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...
World Heritage List
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
in 1988.
In modern Greek, Mount Athos is referred to as Oros Athos ( el, Όρος Άθως), the peninsula as Hersonisos tou Atho ( el, Χερσόνησος του Άθω), while the designation ''
Agio Oros'' ( el, Άγιο Όρος) translating to 'Holy Mountain' is used to denote the autonomous region of Greece governed by the
monastic community of Mount Athos. In the
classical era, while the mountain was called ''Athos'', the peninsula was known as or (). Some languages of Orthodox tradition use names translating to 'Holy Mountain', these include
Bulgarian,
Macedonian
Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia.
Macedonian(s) may specifically refer to:
People Modern
* Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North Ma ...
and
Serbian
Serbian may refer to:
* someone or something related to Serbia, a country in Southeastern Europe
* someone or something related to the Serbs, a South Slavic people
* Serbian language
* Serbian names
See also
*
*
* Old Serbian (disambiguation ...
(''Света Гора, Sveta Gora''; ); and
Georgian (, ). However, not all languages spoken in the Eastern Orthodox world use this name: in
Russian it is simply called (, meaning "Athos"), while in
Romanian
Romanian may refer to:
*anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania
** Romanians, an ethnic group
**Romanian language, a Romance language
***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language
**Romanian cuisine, traditiona ...
it is called "Mount Athos" ( or ).
Geography
The peninsula, the easternmost "leg" of the larger
Chalkidiki peninsula in central
Macedonia, protrudes
[Robert Draper]
"Mount Athos"
, ''National Geographic'' magazine, December 2009 into the
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi ( Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans ...
at a width of between and covers an area of . The actual Mount Athos has steep, densely forested slopes reaching up to . The Athos peninsula, unlike
Sithonia
Sithonia ( el, Σιθωνία), also known as Longos, is a peninsula of Chalkidiki, which itself is located on a larger peninsula within Greece. The Kassandra Peninsula lies to the west of Sithonia and the Mount Athos peninsula to the east. Sithon ...
and
Kassandra, is a geological continuation of the
Rhodope Mountains
The Rhodopes (; bg, Родопи, ; el, Ροδόπη, ''Rodopi''; tr, Rodoplar) are a mountain range in Southeastern Europe, and the largest by area in Bulgaria, with over 83% of its area in the southern part of the country and the remainder in ...
of northern Greece and Bulgaria.
The surrounding seas, especially at the end of the peninsula, can be dangerous. In ancient Greek history two fleet disasters in the area are recorded: In 492 BC
Darius, the king of
Persia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, lost 300 ships under general
Mardonius. In 411 BC the
Sparta
Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referr ...
ns lost a fleet of 50 ships under the admiral Epicleas.
Mount Athos has an extensive
network of footpaths, many of which date back to the
Byzantine period
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
. Many are typically not accessible to motor vehicle traffic.
Flora
Much of Mount Athos is covered with
mixed broadleaf deciduous and evergreen forests. Black pine (''
Pinus nigra'') forests are found at higher elevations.
Sclerophyllous scrub vegetation is also found throughout Mount Athos. Typical forest trees are sweet chestnut (''
Castanea sativa''), holm oak (''
Quercus ilex
''Quercus ilex'', the evergreen oak, holly oak or holm oak is a large evergreen oak native to the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the '' Ilex'' section of the genus, with acorns that mature in a single summer.
Description
An evergre ...
''), kermes oak (''
Quercus coccifera
''Quercus coccifera'', the kermes oak, is an oak bush in the '' Ilex'' section of the genus. It is native to the Mediterranean region and Northern African Maghreb, south to north from Morocco to France and west to east from Portugal to ...
''), Hungarian oak (''
Quercus frainetto''), oriental plane (''
Platanus orientalis''), black pine (''
Pinus nigra''), and cedar (''
Calocedrus decurrens''). Other common plant species include the strawberry tree (''
Arbutus unedo
''Arbutus unedo'' is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the family Ericaceae, native to the Mediterranean region and western Europe. The tree is well known for its fruits, which bear some resemblance to the strawberry — hence the common na ...
'' and ''
Arbutus andrachne''), cypress (''
Cupressus sempervirens''), laurel (''
Laurus nobilis
''Laurus nobilis'' is an aromatic evergreen tree or large shrub with green, glabrous (smooth) leaves. It is in the flowering plant family Lauraceae. It is native to the Mediterranean region and is used as bay leaf for seasoning in cookin ...
''), lentisk (''
Pistacia lentiscus''), phillyrea (''
Phillyrea latifolia''), wild olive (''
Olea europea''), and heather (''
Erica'' spp.).
Deciduous trees that are primarily found alongside streams include
white willow
''Salix alba'', the white willow, is a species of willow native to Europe and western and central Asia.Meikle, R. D. (1984). ''Willows and Poplars of Great Britain and Ireland''. BSBI Handbook No. 4. .Rushforth, K. (1999). ''Trees of Britain ...
,
laurel,
Oriental plane, and
alder trees.
Aleppo pine (''
Pinus halepensis'') is more commonly found in the northern part of the peninsula. Broadleaf
maquis
Maquis may refer to:
Resistance groups
* Maquis (World War II), predominantly rural guerrilla bands of the French Resistance
* Spanish Maquis, guerrillas who fought against Francoist Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War
* The netwo ...
is found further south. Deciduous broadleaf forest dominated by
sweet chestnut lies above the broadleaf maquis zone. There are also mixed forests consisting deciduous oak trees, as well as
limes,
aspen
Aspen is a common name for certain tree species; some, but not all, are classified by botanists in the section ''Populus'', of the '' Populus'' genus.
Species
These species are called aspens:
*'' Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (C ...
,
hop hornbeam, and
maple
''Acer'' () is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated since h ...
.
Black pine and
stinking juniper can be found at higher elevations. Some herbaceous plants with tubers and bulbs include
crocus
''Crocus'' (; plural: crocuses or croci) is a genus of seasonal flowering plants in the family Iridaceae (iris family) comprising about 100 species of perennials growing from corms. They are low growing plants, whose flower stems remain under ...
,
anemone,
cyclamen
''Cyclamen'' ( or ) is a genus of 23 species of perennial flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. ''Cyclamen'' species are native to Europe and the Mediterranean Basin east to the Caucasus and Iran, with one species in Somalia. They g ...
, and
fritillary species.
At least 35 plant species are endemic to Mount Athos, most of which are found in the area of the main summit in the south. ''
Isatis tinctoria
''Isatis tinctoria'', also called woad (), dyer's woad, or glastum, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae (the mustard family) with a documented history of use as a blue dye and medicinal plant. Its genus name, Isatis, derives from ...
'' ssp. ''athoa'', a
woad
''Isatis tinctoria'', also called woad (), dyer's woad, or glastum, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae (the mustard family) with a documented history of use as a blue dye and medicinal plant. Its genus name, Isatis, derives from ...
subspecies, and ''
Viola athois'' are named after Mount Athos.
Mount Athos is also home to 350 species of mushrooms.
Fauna
Mammals include the
grey wolf
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...
(''Canis lupus''),
wild boar
The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species i ...
(''Sus scrofa''), red fox (''
Vulpes vulpes''), jackal (''
Canis aureus
The golden jackal (''Canis aureus''), also called common jackal, is a wolf-like canid that is native to Southeast Europe, Southwest Asia, South Asia, and regions of Southeast Asia. The golden jackal's coat varies in color from a pale creamy y ...
''), European badger (''
Meles meles''), beech marten (''
Martes foina''), stoat (''
Mustela erminea''), weasel (''
Mustela nivalis vulgaris''), European hedgehog (''
Erinaceus concolor''), shrews (''
Crocidura'' spp.), and Mediterranean monk seal (''
Monachus monachus
The Mediterranean monk seal (''Monachus monachus'') is a monk seal belonging to the family Phocidae. , it is estimated that fewer than 700 individuals survive in three or four isolated subpopulations in the Mediterranean, (especially) in the Ae ...
'').
Other mammal species include
roe deer
The roe deer (''Capreolus capreolus''), also known as the roe, western roe deer, or European roe, is a species of deer. The male of the species is sometimes referred to as a roebuck. The roe is a small deer, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapt ...
,
hares, and
red squirrels.
Birds include the black stork (''
Ciconia nigra''), short-toed snake-eagle (''
Circaetus gallicus''), golden eagle (''
Aquila chrysaetos''), lesser kestrel (''
Falco naumanni''), capercaillie (''
Tetrao urogallus''), eagle owl (''
Bubo bubo''), yelkouan shearwater (''
Puffinus yelkouan''), and Audouin's gull (''
Larus audouinii''). Other bird species include
swifts,
swallows,
martin Martin may refer to:
Places
* Martin City (disambiguation)
* Martin County (disambiguation)
* Martin Township (disambiguation)
Antarctica
* Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land
* Port Martin, Adelie Land
* Point Martin, South Orkney Islands
Austr ...
s,
nightingales, and
hoopoes.
History
Antiquity
In
Greek mythology
A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities o ...
,
Athos is the name of one of the
Gigantes that challenged the
Greek gods during the
Gigantomachia. Athos threw a massive rock at
Poseidon
Poseidon (; grc-gre, Ποσειδῶν) was one of the Twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and myth, god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 In pre-Olympian Bronze Age Greece, he was venerated as ...
which fell in the
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi ( Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans ...
and became Mount Athos. According to another version of the story, Poseidon used the mountain to bury the defeated giant.
Homer
Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
mentions the mountain Athos in the
Iliad
The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Ody ...
.
Herodotus
Herodotus ( ; grc, , }; BC) was an ancient Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus, part of the Persian Empire (now Bodrum, Turkey) and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria (Italy). He is known fo ...
writes that, during the Persian invasion of
Thrace
Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to ...
in 492 BC, the fleet of the Persian commander
Mardonius was wrecked with losses of 300 ships and 20,000 men, by a strong North wind while attempting to round the coast near Mount Athos.
Herodotus
Herodotus ( ; grc, , }; BC) was an ancient Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus, part of the Persian Empire (now Bodrum, Turkey) and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria (Italy). He is known fo ...
mentions the peninsula, then called ''Akte,'' telling us that
Pelasgians
The name Pelasgians ( grc, Πελασγοί, ''Pelasgoí'', singular: Πελασγός, ''Pelasgós'') was used by classical Greek writers to refer either to the predecessors of the Greeks, or to all the inhabitants of Greece before the emergenc ...
from the island of
Lemnos populated it and naming five cities thereon,
Sane,
Kleonai (Cleonae),
Thyssos (Thyssus),
Olophyxos (Olophyxus), and
Akrothoon (Acrothoum).
Strabo
Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called " Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could s ...
also mentions the cities of Dion (Dium) and Akrothoon.
Eretria also established colonies on Akte. At least one other city was established in the Classical period:
Akanthos (Acanthus). Some of these cities minted their own coins.
The peninsula was on the invasion route of
Xerxes I, who spent three years excavating the
Xerxes Canal across the isthmus to allow the passage of his invasion fleet in 483 BC. After the death of
Alexander the Great
Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...
, the architect
Dinocrates (Deinokrates) proposed carving the entire mountain into a statue of Alexander.
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic ' ...
stated in 77 AD that the inhabitants of Mount Athos could "live to their four hundredth year" due to the fact that they eat the skin of vipers.
The history of the peninsula during latter ages is shrouded by the lack of historical accounts. Archaeologists have not been able to determine the exact location of the cities reported by Strabo. It is believed that they must have been deserted when Athos' new inhabitants, the monks, started arriving some time before the ninth century AD.
Early Christianity
According to the Athonite tradition, the
Blessed Virgin Mary
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother ...
was sailing accompanied by St
John the Evangelist from
Joppa to
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ...
to visit
Lazarus. When the ship was blown off course to then-pagan Athos, it was forced to anchor near the port of Klement, close to the present monastery of Iviron. The Virgin walked ashore and, overwhelmed by the wonderful and wild natural beauty of the mountain, she blessed it and asked her Son for it to be her garden. A voice was heard saying, "" (Translation: "Let this place be your inheritance and your garden, a paradise and a haven of salvation for those seeking to be saved"). From that moment the mountain was consecrated as the garden of the Mother of God and was out of bounds to all other women.
[St Gregory Palamas included this tradition in his book ''Life of Petros the Athonite'', p. 150, 1005 AD.]
Historical documents on ancient Mount Athos history are very few. It is certain that monks have been there since the fourth century, and possibly since the third. During
Constantine I
Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to convert to Christianity. Born in Naissus, Dacia Mediterran ...
's reign (324–337) both Christians and followers of traditional Greek religion were living there. During the reign of
Julian (361–363), the churches of Mount Athos were destroyed, and Christians hid in the woods and inaccessible places.
Later, during
Theodosius I
Theodosius I ( grc-gre, Θεοδόσιος ; 11 January 347 – 17 January 395), also called Theodosius the Great, was Roman emperor from 379 to 395. During his reign, he succeeded in a crucial war against the Goths, as well as in two ...
's reign (379–395), the temples of the traditional Greek religion were destroyed. The lexicographer
Hesychius of Alexandria states that in the fifth century there was still a temple and a statue of "
Zeus
Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label= genitive Boeotian Aeolic and Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label= genitive el, Δίας, ''Días'' () is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek relig ...
Athonite". After the
Islamic conquest of Egypt in the seventh century, many Orthodox monks from the Egyptian desert tried to find another calm place; some of them came to the Athos peninsula. An ancient document states that monks "built huts of wood with roofs of straw
..and by collecting fruit from the wild trees were providing themselves improvised meals."
[Biography of Saint Athanasius the Athonite]
Byzantine era and onwards
See also
*
Sacred mountains
Notes
References
{{Authority control
Christian holy places
Eastern Orthodoxy in Greece
Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
Landforms of Chalkidiki
Locations in the Iliad
Athos
Eastern Orthodox Christian culture
Subdivisions of Greece
Tourist attractions in Central Macedonia
World Heritage Sites in Greece
Eastern Orthodox pilgrimage sites
Athos
Athos