Monasteries of Mount Athos

The Holy Patriarchal and Stavropegic Monastery of Stavronikita is one of the twenty monasteries of Mount Athos and it ranks fifteenth (15th) in the hierarchy of the Athonite monasteries.

It is one of the smallest Athonite monasteries. It is located on a rock, like a confined castle with a fortified tower and high walls. The rock mass began to deteriorate some years ago, but it was reinforced with cement grout injections and was thus stabilized. There are many auxiliary buildings around the monastery, as well as the arsanas. A remarkable architectural monument, the aqueduct with its arches (end of the 17th century), was built outside the monastery to transport water.

The history of the monastery begins in the 10th century, when it served as a monydrion bearing the name Stavronikita. In fact, it seems that the tower, which pre-existed, was included as part of the fortification and constitutes the oldest building of the monastery. It then went into decline and was deserted, passing into the ownership of various monasteries. In 1533 the abbot of the Holy Monastery of Geromeriou of Thesprotia, Priestmonk Gregorios, bought the monydrion from Philotheou Monastery and undertook the reconstruction of the monastery, without completing it on account of his death. The monastery was finally reestablished and reopened by the Ecumenical Patriarch Jeremiah I, in 1540. In fact, the patriarch endowed the monastery with important metochia in Kassandra and Lemnos. During the Greek War of Independence, it endured great hardship, while successive fires, the last one in 1879, destroyed it to a great extent. In recent years, the monastery was almost entirely restored by the Archaeological Service.

The monastery has 8 chapels; 6 within the precinct of the monastery and 2 outside. Due to the narrow courtyard area, there is no phiale and the monastery refectory does not occupy its usual place; it is located on the first floor of the south wing. The cells of the Stavronikita Monastery are located both in Karyes and within the property of the Monastery. It also has 34 huts in the region of Kapsala as dependencies.

The Katholikon of the monastery was painted by the renowned representative of the Cretan school, monk Theophanes Strelitzas, the so-called “Bathas”, together with his son, monk Symeon, in 1546. The church is dedicated to St. Nicholas. The refectory and the chapel of St. John the Baptist were also painted by Theophanes. Portable icons of the iconostasis (the Dodekaorton and the great Deesis), the doors of the iconostasis with a representation of the Annunciation and a large cross, are also attributed to him.

The most important treasure in the Katholikon of the monastery is the mosaic icon of St. Nicholas of “the Oyster”. The icon dates back to the end of the 13th century or the beginning of the 14th century. Another remarkable painting is the icon depicting Prophet Elijah by painter Michael Damaskinos, from the second half of the 16th century.

The monastery has a rich library with rare illuminated manuscripts and liturgical scrolls. It holds 171 manuscripts and a large number of printed works. A psalter from the second half of the 13th century with golden letters (parchment codex 46) is also noteworthy.

Dimitris Bitzikopoulos