Women cannot be on the holy Mount Athos. Why women are ordered to go to Mount Athos

Athos Peninsula- this is the dwelling of Orthodox monks, it is impossible for women to get here. You can get to it only by sea, the land border is carefully guarded. Well, on the pier, from where the ships leave for Athos, a thorough examination of the passengers is carried out, whether a woman dressed in a man's dress is among the pilgrims and tourists.

The Athos peninsula keeps many secrets: even in the times of Ancient Greece, this place was considered holy. Then on the peninsula there were two large temples dedicated to Apollo and Zeus. The temple dedicated to Zeus was called Aphos, it is from here that the name of the entire peninsula came from.

According to ancient legends, after the adoption of Christianity by the Greeks, the mother of Jesus, along with his apostles, went to Cyprus. On the way, just not far from the peninsula, there was a terrible storm. The ship urgently moored at Athos. When the Mother of God descended to earth, all the ancient pagan buildings and temples collapsed, and numerous idols proclaimed her coming ashore in human language. Many local residents, seeing such a miracle, instantly believed in God, and were immediately baptized. Since then, the land of the Athos peninsula has become the earthly abode of the Blessed Virgin Mary. At the same time, the icon of the Iberian Mother of God appeared on the peninsula; according to legend, it came right on the water. It is believed that the moment this icon leaves Athos, the end of the world will come.

For a long time, a settlement founded by monks on Holy Mount Athos, was quite small. Only in 963 was the first rather large monastery erected. Athanasius of Athos is considered the founder of almost the entire way of life that still exists. The monastery of St. Athanasius can still be seen on the peninsula, at present it is called the Great Lavra. Soon a temple of Xylourgus was built on Athos, the first Russian temple on this land.

During its dawn, there were about 180 Orthodox monasteries on Athos. Unfortunately, this "golden age" of the holy place did not last very long. Initially, Athos was subordinate to Byzantium, and accordingly had many rights, and later received the status of autonomy. But, over time, Byzantium ceased to be a strong defender. In this regard, Athos had to make every effort for an independent existence, enduring many oppressions and persecutions from the Catholic Roman Church. As a result, only 25 monasteries survived on Mount Athos. Easier healed only in the middle of the 19th century, when Greece gained independence.

There is an ancient legend on Athos. According to her, 12 monks live in secret cells located somewhere underground. They do not appear in public, only a few have seen them. When one of these elders dies, they bury him, and then one of the monks of Athos is called. While choosing the most worthy. According to the legend, it is these elders who will read the last liturgy, at the time when the end of the world will occur.

In our time, Athos is a completely independent state. It lives according to its own laws and rules, and all important events in the life of Athos are decided by voting among representatives of 20 monasteries. Almost the whole life of the monks of the monasteries takes place in the pronunciation of prayers and hard homework. Prayers are read strictly according to church rules, in the morning and evening hours. The rest of the time, the monks cultivate the land, breed domestic animals, study the holy scriptures. The life of monks is simple and ascetic. It is not so easy to visit the Holy Mount Athos, it is necessary to obtain a special permit "diamonitirion".

As for women, now they cannot go to Athos. But how this was the case before, the question is rather complicated. The first set of Athos rules says that eunuchs, children and youths should not visit the holy place. It is silent about women. On the other hand, visiting a monastery by women is, as it were, prohibited by definition. Officially, the ban on the presence of women on the peninsula appeared in the 15th century, and since that time not a single woman has been on the lands of Athos. But this is the official version. And if you believe the legends, then several times a woman made her way to these holy places, contrary to all prohibitions. And even in our time, the bans were repeatedly circumvented. Women have written more than one book about how they spent a certain time in a forbidden place. The authorities even had to pass a law, according to which, a woman who illegally made her way to the island will be punished in the form of 1 year in prison.

In our time, for women who were taken with them by careless husbands, a whole campsite is open next to the pier, from which ships leave for Athos. Officially, a woman can get acquainted with the monasteries only from a certain distance, sailing on a ship past the island.

President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin visited Mount Athos to mark the millennium of the presence of Russian Orthodox monks there. This mountain - actually a peninsula with an area of 335 square meters - is the largest area in the world where women (and not only people, but also female animals) are prohibited from entering. But why is there such a ban?

The monastery is not a place for women

If you want to visit Mount Athos, the first thing you need to do is send a copy of your passport to the pilgrimage office of Mount Athos. Every day, 100 Orthodox and 10 non-Orthodox pilgrims go on a three-day stay in one of the twenty monasteries located on the peninsula. In this case, women will have to forget about such an idea, while men will board the ship in one of the two nearest ports. Women have not been allowed on Mount Athos for a thousand years - moreover, they are not allowed to approach more than 500 meters even to the coast of the peninsula.

Why is there a ban?

The charter, adopted back in the tenth century, states that female animals cannot enter the territory of Mount Athos. At the same time, not a word is said about women in the charter, since in those days everyone knew that women were not allowed in men's monasteries. It turns out that this was the simplest way to ensure that male monks were celibate. However, Mount Athos differs from other similar cases in that the entire peninsula is regarded as one large monastery.

Legend

However, there is another reason for the ban on the admission of women to Mount Athos, and it is associated with Orthodox traditions. One of the religious stories of Orthodoxy says that the Virgin Mary lost her course when she sailed to Cyprus. As a result, she ended up on Mount Athos, which she liked so much that she asked her son to give her this mountain as her own - and he agreed. Until now, this territory is called the "garden of the Mother of God", and it is completely dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It is believed that she is the only one who represents her gender on Mount Athos.

Unavailable food

This applies to both humans and animals - but with the exception of cats. A large number of cats live on the territory of Mount Athos, and this is very good, as they are excellent at catching mice. That is why the monks try not to pay attention to the fact that in reality they are also females. Thus, it turns out that dairy products and eggs cannot be obtained on the peninsula - they are brought from other places. But the monks themselves practically do not eat dairy products - mostly cheese. Monks love cheese in salads. On Easter they bring eggs, which they paint red. This is the generally accepted standard. Naturally, they themselves cannot get these eggs, since chickens cannot be on the territory of the peninsula. An exception is made not only for cats, but also for wild animals, which would simply be impossible to control.

Boys and eunuchs

As for boys, in recent years the policy has become much more flexible and lenient. One of the main rules has always been that only those men who are able to grow a beard were allowed to go to Mount Athos. Also in the Byzantine period, there was a ban on the presence of eunuchs and boys there. The reason for this prohibition was that there was a possibility that a woman would be able to enter the monastery under the guise of a eunuch or a boy. Today, boys often appear on the mountain, but only if they are accompanied by adult men, usually their fathers. Even very young children as young as ten years old come to the mountain. And the monks are extremely condescending towards them - they really like it when there are children next to them. So today, boys are allowed to visit Mount Athos, but only accompanied by an adult male.

Women's visits

But, despite the ban, women still visited this peninsula. During the Greek Civil War, sometime between 1946 and 1949, Mount Athos provided shelter to local peasants, among whom were girls and women. In 1953, Maria Poimenidou visited the mountain disguised as a man, which forced the Greek government to ban visits to the peninsula at the legislative level - violators of this law face up to 12 months in prison. More recently, in 2008, four Moldovan women were left on the peninsula by Ukrainian smugglers. They were detained by the police, but soon released - the officers reported that these women were forgiven by the monks.

Some church traditions that appeared many centuries ago today may raise the question - why should it be this way and not otherwise? The most discussed in this sense is the Athos custom not to let women into the territory of Mount Athos. In this age of gender equality, some call this restriction real discrimination against the fairer sex. However, this is not so at all. Indeed, for more than a thousand years, women have not been allowed to cross the borders of Athos, a special monastic state in northern Greece. The appearance of such a ban is connected with the church tradition that the Holy Mount Athos is under the special patronage of the Virgin Mary. Even in the first century after the Nativity of Christ, the Mother of God visited Athos and, struck by the beauty of these places, asked God to make Athos Her earthly inheritance. According to the testament of the Mother of God, not a single woman, except for Her, can set foot on the land of Athos. Officially, the tradition of not allowing women to enter the territory of Athos was enshrined in 1045 by a decree of the Byzantine emperor Constantine IX Monomakh. The ban on the presence of women on Athos existed even after the fall of Constantinople. The Turkish sultans reaffirmed the right of the Athonites to live in accordance with their ancient principles. In modern times, the special status of Athos was secured by a decree of the President of Greece in 1953. According to it, a woman who deliberately violated an ancient tradition and entered Athos can be imprisoned for a term of two to twelve months. Of course, the ban on visiting Athos by women is not discrimination at all, but protection of a form of life that is almost forgotten today. Women are not allowed on Mount Athos, not because the Church has a desire to somehow infringe on them. But because Athos is a place of special prayer feat of male monks. And nothing and no one should distract the monks from this feat. This is the meaning of the ancient custom. The fact that the Athonites have no disdain for women is evidenced by historical facts. For example, during the Turkish captivity, as well as during the Greek civil war of 1946–1949. the monks temporarily canceled the ancient custom and the refugee women found refuge on the Holy Mountain. In addition, once a day, a special boat sails from Ouranoupolis (the name of the pier from which ferries go to Athos). Almost exclusively women sit on it. This boat approaches each of the monastery piers in turn. On the pier, waiting for the boat, there are monks holding monastic shrines (relics and other relics). And passengers of a special boat can go to the pier and bow to the shrines. When Greece joined the European Union in the early 2000s, the European Parliament tried to get the authorities of the country to cancel the ancient custom of Athos and tourists from all over the world could finally visit the Holy Mountain. This initiative did not materialize. After all, according to all documents, Athos is only formally a part of Greece, its lands are in the possession of Athos monasteries. Therefore, a change in the traditional way of life of the Holy Mountain is hardly expected in the future.

Indeed, for more than a thousand years, women have not been allowed to cross the borders of Athos, a special monastic state in northern Greece. The appearance of such a ban is connected with the church tradition that the Holy Mount Athos is under the special patronage of the Virgin Mary. Even in the first century after the Nativity of Christ, the Mother of God visited Athos and, struck by the beauty of these places, asked God to make Athos Her earthly inheritance. According to the testament of the Mother of God, not a single woman, except for Her, can set foot on the land of Athos. Officially, the tradition of not allowing women to enter the territory of Athos was enshrined in 1045 by decree of the Byzantine emperor Constantine IX Monomakh.

The ban on finding women on Mount Athos existed even after the fall of Constantinople. The Turkish sultans reaffirmed the right of the Athonites to live in accordance with their ancient principles. In modern times, the special status of Athos was secured by a decree of the President of Greece in 1953. According to him, a woman who deliberately violated the ancient tradition and entered Mount Athos may be subject to imprisonment for a period of two to twelve months.

Of course, the ban on visiting Athos by women is not discrimination at all, but protection of a form of life that is almost forgotten today. Women are not allowed on Mount Athos, not because the Church has a desire to somehow infringe on them. But because Athos is a place of special prayer feat of male monks. And nothing and no one should distract the monks from this feat. This is the meaning of the ancient custom.

The fact that the Athosites have no disregard for women is evidenced by historical facts. For example, during the Turkish captivity, as well as during the Greek civil war of 1946–1949. the monks temporarily canceled the ancient custom and the refugee women found refuge on the Holy Mountain. In addition, once a day, a special boat sails from Ouranoupolis (the name of the pier from which ferries go to Athos). Almost exclusively women sit on it. This boat approaches each of the monastery piers in turn. On the pier, waiting for the boat, there are monks holding monastic shrines (relics and other relics). And passengers of a special boat can go to the pier and bow to the shrines.

When Greece joined the European Union in the early 2000s, the European Parliament tried to get the authorities of the country to cancel the ancient custom of Athos and tourists from all over the world could finally visit the Holy Mountain. This initiative did not materialize. After all, according to all documents, Athos is only formally a part of Greece, its lands are in the possession of Athos monasteries. Therefore, a change in the traditional way of life of the Holy Mountain is hardly expected in the future.

Athos is the only place on Earth where it is officially forbidden for women to be. However, it is this Holy Mountain that is considered the earthly lot of the Virgin.

1. Athos was considered a sacred place even in pre-Christian times. There were temples of Apollo and Zeus. Athos was the name of one of the titans, who during the war with the gods threw a large stone. Having fallen, he became a mountain, which was given the name of a titan.

2. Athos is formally considered a Greek territory, but in fact it is the only independent monastic republic in the world. This is approved by Article 105 of the Greek Constitution. The supreme power here belongs to the Holy Kinot, which consists of representatives of Athos monasteries delegated to it. The executive power is represented by the Sacred Epistasia. Sacred Kinot and Sacred Epistasia are located in Karyes (Karey) - the capital of the monastic republic.

3. Secular power, however, is also represented on Mount Athos. There is a governor, policemen, postal workers, merchants, artisans, the staff of the first-aid post and the newly opened bank branch. The governor is appointed by the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he is responsible for security and order on Mount Athos.

4. The first large monastery on Mount Athos was founded in 963 by Saint Athanasius of Athos, who is considered the founder of the entire way of monastic life adopted on the Holy Mountain. Today the monastery of St. Athanasius is known as the Great Lavra.

5. Athos - the earthly Lot of the Mother of God. According to legend, in the year 48, the Most Holy Theotokos, having received the grace of the Holy Spirit, went to Cyprus, but the ship fell into a storm and nailed to Athos. After her sermons, the local pagans believed in Jesus and converted to Christianity. Since then, the Most Holy Theotokos herself has been considered the patroness of the Athos monastic community.

6. The cathedral church of the "capital of Athos" of Karei - the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - the oldest on Athos. According to legend, it was founded in 335 by Constantine the Great.

7. On Athos, Byzantine time is still preserved. A new day begins at sunset, so Athos time differs from Greek time - from 3 hours in summer to 7 hours in winter.

8. During its heyday, Holy Athos included 180 Orthodox monasteries. The first monastic sketes appeared here in the 8th century. The republic received the status of autonomy under the auspices of the Byzantine Empire in 972.

9. At present, there are 20 active monasteries on Mount Athos, in which about two thousand brothers live.

10. The Russian monastery (Ksilurgu) was founded before 1016, in 1169 the monastery of Panteleimon was transferred to it, which later became the center of Russian monks on Mount Athos. The Athos monasteries, in addition to the Greek ones, include the Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery, the Bulgarian and Serbian monasteries, as well as the Romanian skete, which enjoy the right of self-government.

11. The highest point of the Athos Peninsula (2033 m) is the peak of Mount Athos. Here is a temple in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord, built, according to legend, by the Monk Athanasius of Athos in 965 on the site of a pagan temple.

12. The Mother of God is the Mother Superior and Patroness of the Holy Mountain.

13. A strict hierarchy of monasteries was established on Athos. In the first place - the Great Lavra, in the twentieth - the monastery of Konstamonit.

14. Karuli (translated from Greek as “coils, ropes, chains, with the help of which the monks go along mountain paths and lift provisions upstairs”) - the name of a rocky, inaccessible area in the south-west of Athos, where the most ascetic hermits labor in the caves.

15. Until the early 1990s, the monasteries on Mount Athos were both cenobitic and seperate. After 1992, all monasteries became cenobitic. However, some sketes still remain special.

16. Despite the fact that Athos is the earthly Lot of the Mother of God, women and "female beings" are not allowed here. This prohibition is enshrined in the Charter of Athos.

There is a legend that in 422 the daughter of Theodosius the Great, Princess Placidia, visited the Holy Mountain, but a voice coming from the icon of the Mother of God prevented her from entering the Vatopedi monastery.

The ban was violated twice: during the Turkish rule and during the Greek Civil War (1946-1949), when women and children fled to the forests of the Holy Mountain. For entry into the territory of Athos for women, criminal liability is provided - 8-12 months in prison.

17. Many relics and 8 famous miraculous icons are kept on Athos.

18. In 1914-1915, 90 monks of the Panteleimon Monastery were mobilized into the army, which gave rise to suspicions among the Greeks that the Russian government was sending soldiers and spies to Athos under the guise of monks.

20. One of the main relics of Athos is the belt of the Virgin. Therefore, the Athonite monks, and especially the monks of the Vatopedi Monastery, are often called "holy girders".

21. Despite the fact that Athos is a holy place, not everything is peaceful there. Since 1972, the monks of the Esfigmene Monastery, under the slogan "Orthodoxy or Death", have refused to commemorate the Ecumenical and other Orthodox patriarchs who have connections with the Pope. Representatives of all Athos monasteries, without exception, have a negative attitude towards these contacts, but their actions are not so radical.

22. Before sunrise, before people in the world wake up, up to 300 liturgies are served on Athos.

23. For the access of the laity to Athos, a special document is required - a diamanterion - paper with an Athos seal - a double-headed Byzantine eagle. The number of pilgrims is limited, no more than 120 people can visit the peninsula at a time. Athos is visited annually by about 10 thousand pilgrims. Orthodox clergy to visit the Holy Mountain must also obtain prior permission from the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

24. In 2014, Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople called on the Athos monasteries to limit the number of monks of foreign origin on Athos to a level of 10%, and also announced a decision to stop issuing permits to foreign monks to settle in Greek-speaking monasteries.

25. On September 3, 1903, in the Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos, Monk Gabriel captured the distribution of alms to the wretched Siromach monks, pilgrims and wanderers. It was planned that this would be the last such distribution. However, after the manifestation of the negative, the photo turned out to be ... the Mother of God herself. Of course, alms continued to be distributed. The negative of this photo was found on Athos last year.

26. St. Andrew's Skete on Mount Athos, as well as other Russian settlements, in the early 1910s was a center of name worship, in 1913 its inhabitants were expelled to Odessa with the help of Russian troops.

27. The first ruler of Russia to visit the Holy Mountain was Vladimir Putin. His visit took place in September 2007.

28. In 1910, there were about 5 thousand Russian monks on Mount Athos - significantly more than the clergy of all other nationalities combined. In the budget of the Russian government there was an article according to which 100 thousand gold rubles were allocated annually to Greece for the maintenance of Athos monasteries. This subsidy was canceled in 1917 by the Kerensky government.

29. After the end of the Civil War in Russia, the arrival of Russians to Athos was practically prohibited both for persons from the USSR and for persons from Russian emigration until 1955.

30. Many, without knowing it, come across the word "Athos" when reading the novel by Alexander Dumas "The Three Musketeers". The name Athos is the same as "Athos".

In the spelling of this word there is the letter "theta", which denotes an interdental sound, which is not in the Russian language. It was transliterated in different ways at different times. And as "f" - since the spelling of "theta" is similar to "f", and as "t" - since in Latin "theta" was transmitted by the letters "th". As a result, we have a tradition to call the mountain - "Athos", and the hero "Athos", although we are talking about the same word.