Greece travel with Oracle Tours

Central Greece Tours: Mount Athos is the TOP Byzantine Sight

Some 38 km east of Poligiros and after a trip up the slopes of Mt. Holomondas, through forests, vine­yards, 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. Men wishing to visit Mt. Athos can board a caique either at Ouranoupolis or Tripiti for Dafni, and from there proceed by road to Karies, 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.

MEN ONLY Basic Conditions of Entry to Mount Athos

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

A visit to the Holy Mountains of Mount Athos

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, peopled by some 1700 monks.

A part from the monasteries, there are other, smaller monastic residences, such as the sketes, and countless hermits' huts. (Xenofondos Moni left)

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; Dohiariou and Xenofonta are located near Dafni. Ladies arent totally left out as they can take a nice boat ride along the promitary and this is very popular due to exceptional views.

The Russian Orthodox monastery, Agiou Pandelei-mona, 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

Here are a few of the other Oracle Greece Taxi or Bus touring destinations you may choose from

Athens, Cape Sounion, Ancient Corinth, Delphi & Ossios Lukas, Drama, Florina, Greneva, Chalkidiki, Imathia, Kastoria, Kavala, Kozani, Meteora, Mt. Athos, Mycenaea, Naufplion, Olympia, Pella and Vergina, Phillipi & Kavala, Dion & Mt Olympus, Sparta & Mystras, The Mani and Monemvasia, Thessaloniki,
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