Monasteries of Mount Athos

The Holy Monastery of Megisti Lavra ranks first in the hierarchy of the Athonite monasteries, and it is also the largest monastic establishment in terms of the area it covers. It was founded in 963 by St. Athanasius the Athonite and was the first large cenobitic community on Byzantine Athos, a model for other monasteries. Although the katholikon is dedicated to the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, the monastery celebrates the assumption of St. Athanasius, on July 5th. 

The ambitious building project of the monastery was funded by emperor Nikephoros II Phokas (963–969) and then by John I Tzimiskes (969–976). The fame of the monastery spread from the 11th to the 15th century, while the number of monks, as well as the income from emperors and senior state and church officials increased. During the 14th century, the Megisti Lavra became a spiritual center that brought together prominent ecclesiastical personalities, such as Philotheus Kokkinos, subsequent Ecumenical Patriarch, and Gregorios Palamas, subsequent metropolitan of Thessaloniki, who played a leading role in the Hesychast controversy as a supporter of Hesychasm.

Following the Ottoman conquest (1430) and a series of pirate raids, a period of decline began that led to the near-total weakening of the monastery. The financial support by Serbian kings and then by Moldavian rulers and high-ranking church officials, contributed to the recovery of the monastery. Despite the difficulties encountered from time to time, due to excessive taxation imposed by the Ottoman state, Megisti Lavra once again experienced economic, artistic and spiritual prosperity in the mid-18th century. In fact, in 1759, this is where the oldest printing house operated within the present Greek territory. The unsuccessful uprising of 1821 had a detrimental impact on the course of the monastery. In 1963, the 1.000th anniversary of the establishment of the monastery and the introduction of Athonite cenobitic monasticism were celebrated. 

The monastic complex was built in the form of a four-sided fortress with consecutive towers, among which the so-called tower of Tzimiskes stands out, a sturdy construction probably of the 11th century with post-Byzantine repairs. 

The katholikon, the oldest one on Mount Athos, dominates the center of the monastery. It was founded by St. Athanasius in 963, introducing a new type of architecture to the Athonite state. It is a complex cross-in-square church, a variation of the so-called Athonite type, with two lateral choirs and two conchs on the north and south walls intended for the chanters. The nave was decorated in 1535 with the exceptional frescoes by Theophanes Strelitzas Bathas the Cretan, which were restored by our Ephorate (1994-2006). The chapel of the Holy Forty Martyrs to the north with the saint’s tomb and St. Nicholas chapel to the south frescoed by the Theban painter Frangos Katelanos (1560), are attached to each side of the lite. On the first floor of the lite, there used to be a chapel and the quarters of St. Athanasius. Among the most important works of the church are the jeweled processional cross of Nikephoros Phokas on the Altar (10th century), the marble inlay flooring and the metal door leaves at the main gate of the church (11th century), the despotic icons of Christ and of the Virgin Mary, works by Theophanes, which adorn the more recent marble iconostasis of 1887 by Ioannis Chalepas. Among the plethora of holy relics in the katholikon, a fragment of the True Cross kept in a luxurious staurotheke-reliquary stands out, along with the heads of Basil the Great and St. Alexander of Pydna, gifts of Emperor Nikephoros Phokas, as well as the heads of St. Michael of Synnada and St. Eustratius, and the arm of St. John Chrysostom, gifts of Emperor Basil II. 

The refectory of the monastery, funded by the metropolitan Gennadios of Serres in the 16th century, is located opposite the katholikon. The cruciform building in plan has an impressive mural decoration attributed to Theophanes the Cretan and dated between 1535 and 1545. The conservation of its frescoes was gradually implemented by the Ephorate of Antiquities of Chalkidiki and Mount Athos under the NSRF 2007-2013 and NSRF 2014-2020. 

The phiale of the monastery, a vaulted colonnaded building of the 17th century with exquisitely crafted 10th-century marble panels and frescoes dating to 1634/5, stands between the refectory and the katholikon. It houses the initial large marble basin of 1060 with the bronze ‘strobillion’ in the centre. There is a century-old cypress tree north of the phiale which, according to the tradition of the monastery, was planted by Saint Athanasius himself, while the tombs of patriarchs Anthimos II (1628), Dionysios III Vardalis (1696) and Jeremiah III (1735) are situated to the south of the phiale.

The wings of the monastery house the dorter (archontariki), the pantry (docheio), the wine-cellar (vagenareio), the hegoumeneion (abbot’s quarters), the synod building, the monastic cells, while other independent buildings within the courtyard serve the bakery (magipeio) and the kitchen. Of particular importance is the building complex of the old hegoumeneion to the north of the katholikon which was the initial quarter of St. Athanasius with phases of construction from the 10th to the 16th-17th centuries. The chapel of St. Athanasius or of the tonsure (koura) is part of it, where even today, new monks of the monastery are tonsured. 

In the precinct, the chapel of Panagia Koukouzelissa with the miraculous namesake icon and the exceptional frescoes of the 18th century, and the chapel of St. Michael of Synnada stand out, while seventeen chapels form part of its wings.

The sacristy and the library of the monastery, which was recently expanded (2015), are right behind the katholikon. Of the 2.800 manuscript codices in the library, 500 are written on parchment. The most important illuminated manuscripts are De materia medica (Of Medical Substances) of Dioscorides (10th century), the Orations of Gregory the Theologian (11th century), and the Commentary on Job (13th century). The collection of printed books includes some 20.000 volumes printed before the 18th century and some 70.000 of the 19th and 20th centuries. The rich archive of the monastery contains 200 Byzantine documents, including numerous imperial chrysobulls. The most significant relics of the monastery are kept in the sacristy, unique works covering the full spectrum of visual arts: the so-called Gospel Lectionary of Nikephoros Phokas with illuminations and luxurious jeweled bindings (10th century), the mosaic icon of St. John the Theologian (late 13th century), the gilded paten of Thomas Preljubović (14th century), vestments, enkolpia, rods, liturgical vessels. The monastery’s collection of portable icons treasures outstanding works from the early 12th century onwards.

Among the many dependencies of Megisti Lavra, the Skete of St. Anna stands out on the southwest side of Mount Athos, the Skete of Kavsokalyvia on the southeastern foothills, and the Skete of St. John the Baptist, which is a cenobitic skete inhabited by monks of Romanian origin. Among the smaller dependencies, the most important are Kerasia, Katounakia, Karoulia, Provata, the kathisma of Mylopotamos, etc.

Nikolaos Siomkos, Vangelis Maladakis

References

Lemerle, P., Guillou, A., Svoronos, N., Papachryssanthou, D. (éd.), Actes de Lavra, τ. I-IV (Archives de l’Athos V, VIII, X, XI), Paris 1970-1982. 

Βογιατζής, Σ., Το καθολικό της Ιεράς Μονής Μεγίστης Λαύρας στο Άγιον Όρος. Ιστορία και αρχιτεκτονική, Αθήνα 2019.

Θεοχαρίδης, Π., Μαμαλούκος, Σ., «Παρατηρήσεις στην οικοδομική ιστορία και την αρχιτεκτονική του κτηριακού συγκροτήματος της τράπεζας της Μεγίστης Λαύρας», Δελτίον Χριστιανικής Αρχαιολογικής Εταιρείας 32 (2011), σ. 33-50. 

Νικοδήμου Λαυριώτου, Μεγίστη Λαύρα. Εικονογραφημένος οδηγός. Προσκυνητάριον, Άγιον Όρος 2004 (ανατύπωση).