The northern mainland - The Rough Guide to Greece - page 305

quality of its chanting, it has a fine common room/library
with literature on Orthodoxy and an extra guest hostel
outside the gate.
Ayíou Dhionysíou T 23770 23687, F 23770 23686.
Around an hour from Osíou Grigoríou, this fortified
structure, perched spectacularly on a coastal cliff, is among
the most richly endowed monasteries. The best icons are in
the refectory rather than the dim church. Non-orthodox
must eat separately.
Ayíou Pávlou T 23770 23741, F 23770 23355;
10am-12.30pm. About an hour from Ayíou Dhionysíou,
this edifice actually looks more imposing from afar; many
Cypriot monks in residence.
Néa Skíti T 23770 23572; 10am-noon. Under an hour
from Ayíou Pávlou. Nothing too special about this dependency,
except that it serves as a handy base for Athos peak.
Skíti Ayías Ánnas T 23770 23320. An hour and a half
from Ayíou Pávlou. Pleasant location with buildings
tumbling down to the shore. Used as the most common
“base camp” for climbing Athos peak (2030m).

Stavronikíta T & F 23770 23255; 10am-noon. An
hour's walk from both Pandokrátoros and Ivíron, this offers
some of the best views of Athos peak and is the most distinct
example of an Athonite coastal fortress-monastery. The
narrow church occupies virtually all the gloomy courtyard.
Orthodox and infidel alike are roused for 3.30am matins.
Skíti Ayíou Andhréou T 23770 23810. A former
Russian dependency of the great Vatopedhíou monastery,
erected in the nineteenth century. Almost deserted today
but close to Karyés and may take walk-in overnighters.
Koutloumousíou T 23770 23226, F 23770 23731. Small
and tidy monastery on the edge of Karyés. Its name is said to
derive from a Seljuk chieftain who converted to Christianity.
Ivíron T 23770 23643, F 23770 23248; noon-2pm.
Vast place housing around 40 monks. Pilgrims flock to the
miraculous icon of the Portaítissa , the Virgin Guarding the
Gate, inside its own chapel. The huge main church has an
elaborate mosaic floor dating from 1030 and interesting
pagan touches such as ram's-head column capitals. There is
also an immensely rich library and treasury-museum.
Filothéou T 23770 23256, F 23770 23674; noon-
3pm. Around 1hr walk uphill from Ivíron. Lively place,
which was at the forefront of the monastic revival in the
early 1980s but not too attractive apart from the expansive
lawn. Non-Orthodox visitors are barred from services and
dining with the faithful.
Karakálou T 23770 23225, F 23770 23746. Under an
hour's walk downhill from Filothéou. The lofty keep is
typical of the fortress-monasteries built to deter pirate
attacks. Non-Orthodox barred from services and dining
with the faithful.
Meyístis Lávras T 23770 23754, F 23770 23013. The
oldest and foremost of the ruling monasteries, as well as
the most imposing complex on Athos, with fifteen chapels
within its walls. At mealtimes you can enjoy the frescoes in
the refectory, executed by Theophanes the Cretan in 1535.
Among its many dependencies, just 10min away by
marked path there's the hermitage-cave of Ayios
Athanasios, watched over by five skulls.
Skíti Prodhrómou T 23770 23294. A good 2hr walk
from Meyístis Lávras, this large dependency is run by
welcoming young Romanian monks, who may well take
you in on spec. Other dependencies further along the
southern tip include the kellí of Áyios Nílos and the frescoed
chapel of Kafsokalývia, from where boats depart to the
southwestern coast.

THE NORTHEASTERN COAST
MONASTERIES
Hilandharíou T 23770 23797, F 23770 23108. A
beacon of Serbian culture since the thirteenth century, with
monks on rotation from Serbia. The fourteenth-century
church in the triangular courtyard has attractive frescoes -
look out for the Ouranóskala or “Stairway to Heaven”. Boasts
the most salubrious guest quarters on the Mountain.
Esfigménou T 23770 23229. Built fortress-like right on
the coast but little visited due to its reputation as the
strictest institution on Athos. It refuses to accept Patriarch
Bartholemew because of his ecumenical initiatives.
Banners proclaim “Orthodoxy or death!”
Vatopedhíou T 23770 41480, F 23770 41462;
9am-1pm. Great 3.5hr walk from Esfigménou. The largest
and second most important monastery, home to over three
hundred monks, many of them English-speaking. The cobbled,
slanting courtyard with its freestanding belfry resembles a
town plaza. The katholikón contains exceptional fourteenth-
century frescoes and three exquisite mosaics.
Pandokrátoros T 23770 23880, F 23770 23685.
Nearly a 3hr walk from Vatopedhíou, its best features are
the guest rooms overlooking its own picturesque fishing
harbour and the citrus-laden courtyard. In a valley above
looms its imposing dependency, Profítis Ilías.

4

EATING AND DRINKING
Athos grows much of its own food and the monastic diet is based on tomatoes, beans, olives, green vegetables, coarse
bread, cheese and pasta, with occasional meat dishes or treats like halvás and fruit; a glass of wine is commonly served and
fish of some description is standard after Sunday morning service. Only two meals are served daily in the trápeza (refectory
or dining room), the first, more substantial one any time between 8am and 11am, the latter about an hour and a half to
two and a half hours before sunset, depending on the time of year. It's a good idea to bring supplementary provisions with
you. There are a few shops in Karyés and Dháfni, but for a better selection you should stock up before coming to Athos.