Xeropotamou monastery () is an

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

at the monastic state of

Mount Athos Mount Athos (; ) is a mountain on the Athos peninsula in northeastern Greece directly on the Aegean Sea. It is an important center of Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodox monasticism. The mountain and most of the Athos peninsula are governed ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

, in the middle side of peninsula. The monastery ranks eighth in the hierarchy of the Athonite monasteries. It was founded in the 10th century, and is dedicated to the

Forty Martyrs of Sebaste The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste or the Holy Forty (Ancient/Katharevousa Greek and Ἅγιοι Τεσσαράκοντα; Demotic: Άγιοι Σαράντα) were a group of Roman soldiers in the Legio XII ''Fulminata'' (Armed with Lightning) whose m ...

Xeropotamou houses numerous

relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

, the most prominent being the largest extant piece of the

True Cross According to Christian tradition, the True Cross is the real instrument of Jesus' crucifixion, cross on which Jesus of Nazareth was Crucifixion of Jesus, crucified. It is related by numerous historical accounts and Christian mythology, legends ...

. For this reason, the monastery also celebrates a patronal feastday on September 14, the feast of the

Elevation of the Holy Cross The Elevation of the Holy Cross (), also known as the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, is one of the Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church, celebrated on September 14. The feast is celebrated on the anniversary of the day on which St. Helena found ...

. The library contains 409 manuscripts, and about 600 printed books. Today the monastery has about 25 monks. Xeropotamou Bridge

The name Xeropotamou, literally "of the dry river", refers to the ephemeral stream running near the monastery, which is a stony brook that dries up in the dry season. The brook is crossed by (), which connects Xeropotamou Monastery with St. Panteleimon Monastery.

References

External links

Xeropotamou monastery at the Mount Athos website

10th-century establishments in the Byzantine Empire Christian monasteries established in the 10th century Monasteries on Mount Athos Greek Orthodox monasteries True Cross {{Greece-Orthodox-monastery-stub