Mount Athos Private tours in Greece.

Some 38 km east of Poligiros and after a trip up to the slopes of Mountain Holomondas, through forests, vine-yards, vegetable patches and flower gardens, or along sandy beaches, one comes first to picturesque Arnea, followed by Stagira, Aristotle's birthplace, Lerissos by the sea, and Nea Roda before arriving at Tripiti. Opposite lies the emerald islet of Ammouliani. From here the road descends to Ouranoupolis. Finally, arrives at Karies, which is the capital of Athos. This is the site of the peninsula's oldest church, the Protaton (10th century), which is decorated with frescoes by Manouil Panselinos- the last great painter of the Macedonian School of Byzantine Art.

BASIC CONDITIONS OF ENTRY

Mount Athos is a self-governing area of Greek territory. According to a decision of the Holy Community, which is based mainly on the chrysobull issued by Emperor Constantine Monomachos in 1045, the terms of entry to the monasteries are as follows:

100 Greek nationals expatriate Greeks or Orthodox Christian foreigners and 10 heterodox foreigners are allowed to enter the Holy Mountain daily. For entry permit please contact the Office of Pilgrims to Mount Athos, in Thessalonica at: 172 Neas Egnatias St., tel. 861.611 (permits for foreigners), 833.733 (permits for Greeks), fax: 861.811. According to the Abaton, which has always been applied, the entry of women is prohibited. The visitor is admitted after showing the diamonitirion (residence permit), which he collects from the Pilgrims' Bureau of The Hiera Epistasia (Holy Superintendancy) in Ouranoupolis. This entitles him to hospitality for four (4) days.

A VISIT TO THE HOLY MOUNTAIN

Mount Athos is a monastic state, which for more than one thousand years has existed, observing rules of life and religion that have not changed since Byzantine times. In its prime there were 40 monasteries with several thousand monks. Today, however, this number has been reduced to 20 monasteries, peopled by some 1700 monks.

Apart from the monasteries, there are other, smaller monastic residences, such as the sketes, and countless hermits' huts.

Mt. Athos is a veritable museum of Byzantine and post Byzantine art. As the visitor walks to the different monasteries, he will be astounded not only by the frescoes, but by the richness of the libraries, the mosaics, the valuable smaller works of art, the liturgical vessels and the diverse heirlooms within their walls. Koutlou-moussiou is in the vicinity of Karies. To the east of it is Iviron, to the north Esfigmenou, and north of it the Serbian Orthodox Monastery of Hilandarlou; Do-hiariou and Xenofonta are located near Dafni.

The Russian Orthodox monastery, Agiou Pandeleimona, is half an hour's walk from Xenofonta. The south side of Athos has three of the most impressive monasteries on the Holy Mountain: Simonopetra, Grigoriou and Dionissiou, Agiou Pavlou and the Skete of Agia Anna lie beyond Dionissiou. One of the oldest monasteries, Megisti Lavra, stands at the southern tip of the peninsula. It contains frescoes by the Athonite painter, Theophanis. Other frescoes by him and other artists of the Cretan School are to be found in Stavronikitas, Pandokratoras, Vatopedl and Dohiariou. The remaining monasteries are scattered here and there around the peninsula; they include Karakalou, Zografou, Pandokratoras and Filotheou.

USEFUL INFORMATION

MUSEUMS AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES:

The Archaeological Site of Olinthos: tel.: 23730-21.862.

The Museum of Poligiros: tel.: 23710-22.148.

Spas: Nea Apollonia, Agii Apostoli, Agia Paraskevi.

HOW TO GET TO THE MOUNT ATHOS:

Men wishing to visit Mt. Athos can board a caique:

From Lerissos, there are daily sailings for the monasteries on the northeast and southeast coast of Athos. For information, Lerissos Herbourmaster, tel.: 23770-22.576.

From Ouranoupolis, there are daily sailings for the monasteries on the west side. The caique stops at Dafni and from there one takes a bus to Karies. Information, Harbourmaster, Ouranoupolis, tel.: (0030 377) 71.248.