Monasteries of Mount Athos

The Zografou Monastery, built on a forested hillside on the southwestern part of the Athos peninsula, was one of the great spiritual centers of the Balkan Slavs throughout its history.

According to tradition, the Monastery was founded in the 10th century during the reign of Emperor Leo VI the Wise, by three brothers; Moses, Aaron and John from Ohrid.

The earliest documented evidence of the monastery can be traced to the signature “Georgios Zografos” in the Typikon of John Tzimiskes in 972. It is estimated that this date coincides with its foundation. In a document of 980, the boundaries of the Zografou Monastery property within Mount Athos are mentioned for the first time. Until the end of the 12th century, the Monastery was a monydrion without special distinction. Initially, Zografou Monastery was Greek and all its representatives signed in Greek. For the first time in 1192, the rulers of Bulgaria expressed interest, which encouraged the arrival of Bulgarian-speaking monks in Athos, thus changing the character of the Monastery.

At the beginning of the 13th century, it was severely damaged from the Unionists of Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos and Patriarch Beccus, who killed twenty-six monks and laymen in its tower in 1279/1280. In memory of this event, a cenotaph was erected in 1873 in the courtyard of the Monastery. Shortly afterwards, the monastery experienced hard times once again from Catalan pirates, who burned and destroyed the largest part of it. However, it was soon rebuilt thanks to the donations of the Palaiologan emperors, especially Andronikos II and John V. Thus, a new, prosperous period for the monastery begins, which, however, did not last for long. Over the years, things took a turn for the worse and the monastery was left in a state of almost total desolation. This time, its renovation was undertaken by the rulers of Moldavia, among whom Stephen the Great (1457-1504) stands out; thanks to his donations, the katholikon of the Monastery, the refectory, the arsanas (boathouse) etc. were built.

During the period of Ottoman rule and especially during the 16th – 19th centuries, the religious and economic ties of the monastery with the Balkan countries and Russia are of significant importance as expressed by the tours of traveling monks in various regions of Greece and the wider Balkan region with the aim of raising money for the benefit of the monastery, as well as by the generous donations of the Orthodox rulers of Wallachia, Moldavia and Russia, who contributed to the financial strength of the monastery.

The katholikon of the Monastery was built in 1801, with frescoes of 1817; it is dedicated to St. George and it is of the Athonite type. The oldest surviving buildings are from the beginning of the 18th century. The south-east Wing of the Monastery was renovated in 1716. The north Wing, the propylon and the west Wing were built in the period from 1862 to 1896.

The monastery includes eight chapels within its precinct, the most important being that of Panagia Akathistos, and eight outside it. Two workshops in Karyes and the cell of the Transfiguration of the Lord also belong to the monastery.

Six icons are revered as miracle-working in the Zografou Monastery: three of Saint George (Achiropietos, from Arabia, from Moldavia), and three of the Virgin Mary (Proaggelomeni, Epakuousa, Esphagmeni). The monastery also owns several heirlooms and ecclesiastical vessels. Its library contains 126 Greek and 388 Slavonic manuscripts, as well as over 10.000 printed books.

The Zografou Monastery has been cenobitic since 1849 with the Sigillion of the Ecumenical Patriarch Anthimus IV. It ranks 9th in the hierarchy of the Athonite Monasteries. The abbot of Zografou Monastery is Archimandrite Ambrosius.

The Ephorate of Antiquities of Chalkidiki and Mount Athos carried out a recording of icons, maintenance work on the frescoes of the chapel of Panagia Akathistos and rescue excavations as part of the project implementation on fire safety of the Monastery.

Mertzimekis