The mountainous peninsula of Agios Athos is an autonomous state in the Republic of Greece. To get there, you need to request a special permit from the pilgrimage center. And representatives of the beautiful half of humanity, and female animals are not allowed there at all.
On the Holy Mountain - that is the official name of Athos in Greece - there are twenty large monasteries, as well as a large number of sketes, kathismas, hesychastiriums and individual cells. All the monasteries on the peninsula have the status of stavropegic under the direct control of the Patriarch of Constantinople (since 1312).
This autonomy is also enshrined in secular official documents (Lausanne Treaty of 1923). On Athos, unlike other Greek Orthodoxy, life flows according to the Julian calendar (even in official documents).
Main by statusthe abode of the "Autonomous Monastic State of the Holy Mountain" is the Great Lavra. But pilgrims are not limited to visiting only this shrine. The second most important after the Great Lavra is the monastery of Vatopedi. In this article, we will reveal the full information regarding this monastery.
Location of the monastery
This settlement of monks is located on the northeastern tip of the peninsula of Agios Athos. It is located approximately in the middle between the cloisters of Pantokrator and Esfigmen.
Postal address of the Vatopedi Monastery: Athos (Agio Oros, 603 86, Greece). The huge monastery stands on the slope of a high (more than 2 thousand meters) mountain on the coast of the Contesso Bay. Near the monastery you can see the ruins of the city of Dion, the same age as Rome (7th century BC).
Vatopedi is surrounded by mountains on three sides, on which vineyards or orchards are planted, a pine forest is green. And from the fourth, its foot is washed by the sea. Together with the Great Lavra, he, with the monasteries of Iversky, Hilandar and Dionisiat, constitutes an outpost of Orthodoxy on the Land of the Mother of God.
Unfortunately, now the population of Athos is rapidly declining. According to 2001 data, 2262 monks lived on the Holy Mountain. But back in 1917, the population of the monastic state was ten and a half thousand people.
How to get to Vatopeda
If you, having received permission to visit Athos, are traveling not with a group of pilgrims, but on your own, you should remember that the land border between Athos, the third "finger" of the large peninsulaHalkidiki, closed.
Wherever you go to Vatopedi monastery from Ouranoupoli or Neo-Rod, the final leg of the journey will have to be done on the water. Most tourists come to the first city, because the Pilgrimage Bureau is located there, where for 25 euros (1850 rubles) you can buy a diamanitirion (pass to Holy Athos).
The first ferry departs from the Ouranoupoli pier at 9:45 and berths alternately at Hilandar, Zograf, Konstamonit, Dohiar, Xenophon, St. Panteleimon Monastery and the port of Daphne.
From this last point to the capital of the mini-state Athos, the town of Karye (where the Museum of Christian Culture is located) there is a minibus. She waits for every ferry to arrive.
The closest way to Vatopedu is from the piers of Zograf or Konstamonita. From them you need to cross the peninsula on foot in the narrowest place (from the west coast to the east). The length of the path is about three kilometers.
History of Vatopeda
According to legend, a storm washed up on the shore of the Athos peninsula a ship carrying the Mother of God. She was so fascinated by the beauty of this area that she asked God to give her this land as an inheritance. And allegedly the answer was given to her: “Let this land be a garden and a paradise for those who want to be saved.”
Therefore, Athos is also called the “Lot of the Virgin”. Vatopedi Monastery, according to an undocumented legend, was built at the end of the 10th century on the site of a temple built by Constantine the Great and destroyed by Julian the Apostate. And it was founded by three disciples of the Monk AthanasiusAthos.
In those days it was customary to take monastic vows at the end of life. And three noble Greeks from Adrianople - Athanasius, Anthony and Nicholas - were among them. They built the Church of the Annunciation, which is now the main temple of the monastery.
At different periods, Maxim the Greek, Gregory Palamas, Patriarchs Gennady and Kirill the Fifth, Archbishop Meletios served here as monks or novice.
Origin of the name
The name of the monastery of Athos was given to Vatopedu by a miraculous case of deliverance from the depths of the sea of Tsarevich Arcadius, son of Theodosius the Great. When he sailed from Rome to Constantinople, the ship got into a terrible storm near the island of Imvro (located opposite Athos).
Young Arkady tirelessly called on the Mother of God for help until he was washed overboard by a wave. The retinue landed on the shore and began searching for the prince. Looking into the coastal bushes near the dilapidated Church of the Annunciation, the guard saw Arkady sleeping peacefully.
Therefore, the monastery, which was founded here later, was called "Vatos Pedi", which means "Child's Bush". And of course, the main temple of the monastery was dedicated to the Mother of God, or rather, her Annunciation. Therefore, the patronal feast in the monastery falls on April 7 (March 25 according to the Julian calendar).
How the Vatoped Monastery is equipped
Photos of this settlement of monks often depict it only from the sea. The fact is that shooting is strictly prohibited on the territory of Athos. Such is the rule. But no one forbids photographing the monastery from the sea. For women and thosemen who have not received a pass organize cruises around Mount Athos.
Already in the 11th century, a hundred years after its construction, Vatopedi was the second most important and richest monastery after the Great Lavra. This made it possible to found here in 1749 the famous Athos Academy, which became the center of the spiritual revival of the Greek nation.
Katholikon (that is, the main cathedral) of the Annunciation of the Virgin is not the only one in the monastery. Later and at different times, twelve more churches and chapels were built, five of which are now connected to the temple. The bell tower of the monastery is the oldest on Mount Athos. It was built in 1427.
Most of the monasteries in Athos have their own hermitages. Vatopedi is no exception. Nineteen more churches are located outside the monastery walls, which are under the direct control of the chief abbot.
Vatoped also owns two sketes: St. Andrew the First-Called and Demetrius of Thessalonica. The monastery itself has 27 cells and a hospice.
Vatoped is a large landowner. This monastery is very rich and has St. Andrew's Compound in Istanbul, 150 thousand hectares of fertile soil in continental Greece and Lake Vistonida. The right to the last body of water is contested by the state.
Vatoped Monastery: the belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary and other shrines
What allowed the monastery to acquire such we alth? In order not to impoverish the flow of pilgrims, the monastery from the time of its foundation constantly acquired the relics of saints and miraculous icons. At present, the list of these relicsquite extensive.
Here you can see a sliver of the Life-Giving Cross - the very one on which Jesus Christ was crucified. There are also relics of the holy relics of the Apostle Bartholomew, Demetrius of Thessalonica, Gregory the Theologian, Archdeacon Stephen, John the Merciful, Tryphon, Panteleimon, Harlampy, Bacchus and Sergius, Kirik, Paraskeva, Theodore Stratilates and Andrew of Crete.
But the main shrine of the Vatopedi monastery is the girdle of the Most Holy Theotokos. According to legend, the Ever-Virgin gave it to the Apostle Thomas. This belt was kept in Constantinople before the invasion of the Turks, and then was bought by the king of Serbia, Lazarus.
Monastery icons
The monastery has a diptych of images of Pantokrator and the Virgin "Tenderness". These religious paintings are venerated by the Church, as are the images of Empress Theodora, who restored icon veneration in Byzantium.
In the catholicon of Vatopeda, you can bow to the Holy Trinity. Since the whole monastery is dedicated to the Ever-Virgin, there are many faces of the Madonna in it. At least eight icons of the Theotokos of the Vatopedi monastery are considered miraculous. This is:
- "Pantanassa" (All Queen).
- "Consolation".
- "Eleouritissa" or "Dohiarissa"(Eletochevaya or Kelarnitsa).
- "Vimatarissa" (Altar bowl).
- "Esphagmeni" (Sacrifice).
- Antiphonitria (Harbinger).
- Pyrovolifisa (Shot Through).
- "Paramythia" (Exhortation).
The last icon is also of cultural interest, since it was painted in the 14th century.
Other shrines
Pilgrimsthey come to this monastery not only to bow to the holy faces and see the relics of saints and great martyrs. The shrines of the Vatopeda monastery also include a bowl of jasper, which was a gift from the Byzantine emperor Manuel II Palaiologos.
This vessel is famous for turning water poured into it into an antidote for snake bites. Also here, during the excavations, a tomb was discovered, in which all the deceased brothers were buried for a long time. Now their skulls and bones are on display.
What to see in Vatopeda
First of all, you need to visit the main seven-domed Church of the Annunciation. It is located in the east of the triangular monastery courtyard. A majestic, richly decorated antechamber with marble arches and columns leads to the cathedral.
From it there are direct exits to the vestibules - external and internal, as well as to the aisles - St. Nicholas and the Great Martyr Dmitry Solunsky. On the choirs there is another chapel of the Mother of God icon "Consolation" (or "Joy"). From the inner vestibule you enter the temple itself.
Here you can admire the frescoes of the Vatopedi monastery, which were made in the XIV century by the famous Byzantine master Manuel Panselinos. In the catholicon you can also see four porphyry columns that were brought here from Rome by order of Honorius, son of Theodosius the Great (9th century).
Interesting places for secular visitors
In the 18th century, the Vatoped Monastery on Mount Athos had an extensive library, which made it possible to open hereAcademy. But alas, this educational institution, where the outstanding minds of Greece taught, lasted only five years. The “secular” program of the Academy was not liked by the holy fathers and a conflict arose.
Now the ruins of this high school can be seen to the east of the monastery. But the library survived. It contains 35,000 ancient manuscripts, parchment scrolls and printed books. The most valuable gem of the library is the 11th-century edition of Geography by the ancient Greek scholar Ptolemy.
Pilgrims won't see it, but the inner side of the altar gate (which is hidden from the laity) is very old, made of carved wood. Church vestments and vessels are stored in the sacristy of the monastery.
In the monastery courtyard, you should go to two chapels: the Holy Belt and Cosmas and Damian. It will also be moralizing to visit the ossuary (outside the gates of the monastery): look at the row of skulls and understand that everything is perishable.
What a visitor to Athos should know
Be sure to take your passport with you on your trip to the Holy Mountain. Face control is strict there, and women who enter the territory of the monastic republic face criminal liability and several months in prison.
Diamanitirion, which you need to buy in Ouranoupolis, is of two types: general and with an overnight stay in a particular monastery. It is noteworthy that they cost the same - 25 euros (1850 rubles).
The Vatopedi monastery has its own archondarik - a house that accommodates pilgrims who bought a pass to Athos of the second type. They are very much in chargeSpartan in all respects, the hotel of the Archondaris monks.
Pilgrims during their stay on Athos must observe all the rules of monastic life: do not drink alcohol, do not smoke, do not use foul language, do not raise your voice, and do not even swim in the sea.
Requirements for clothing are also harsh. It should cover your shoulders and knees. Pilgrims dine in the refectory of the monastery twice on a normal day and once during fasts.
Service Schedule
A feature of Athos is that in different monasteries they measure time in their own way. The day begins either at sunset or at sunrise, and only rare cloisters live in the Greek time zone.
In the holy monastery of Vatopedi, pilgrims are allowed to attend the liturgy, which begins at 17:15 ET. It lasts an hour, after which they invite you to a meal.
Compline starts at 20:15, where pilgrims can also attend. At 2:50 they wake up for matins (in the temple of Panteleimon). And then the Holy Liturgy begins.
