Mount Áthos

Mount Athos rises at the end of a long peninsula in the northern Aegean, its forested slopes home to a celebrated community of Orthodox monasteries. Monks from Greek, Slavic and other traditions made the Holy Mountain a center of prayer and learning. Its churches and libraries preserved painted icons, manuscripts and precious gifts, while estates supplied the communities living among the steep valleys and shores.

Ottoman rule brought new pressures on the monasteries and their lands. In 1568 Sultan Selim II ordered the confiscation of monastic property, compelling the monks to negotiate its recovery. Despite financial difficulties, religious life continued, and in the mid-18th century the Athonite School was established near Vatopedi to teach theology and philosophy. The Greek uprising of 1821 brought fighting to the region; monks joined the revolt, refugees sought shelter on the peninsula, and Ottoman troops entered and stationed garrisons in some monasteries.