Mount Athos (Holy Mountain)The garden of the Holy Virgin Mary

The “salt of the earth”, the core of the Christian faith, an untouched paradise for male pilgrims and nature lovers, a monastic state with its own parliament and government, where life follows the laws and rhythms of ancient Byzantium.

It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all males on the earth!

Mount Athos is one of Europe’s last remaining secrets, where only male pilgrims and workers receive a visa to enter, and is regarded as the second-most important religious place of pilgrimage after Jerusalem, as it is the largest and most important monastic state in the Orthodox East.

Cloaked by beautiful chestnut and other types of Mediterranean forest, the steep slopes of Mount Athos are punctuated by twenty imposing monasteries and their subsidiary establishments where more than 2,000 monks live, secluded from the rest of the world.

The Holy Mountain is an entire state dedicated to prayer, and the aim for all the monks is the same: to purify their souls, free themselves from passion and weakness, and, above all, from egoism.

On the Athos peninsula, 20 monasteries of varying ages function as religious communities. There are also lesser establishments – hermitages, cells, and retreats – where individuals live as anchorites, hermits, or in small brotherhoods. You’ll find no asphalt roads here, but an extended network of forest trails and paths connects the monasteries.
Whether you knock on a monastery door as an explorer or pilgrim, you will find a warm welcome, simple lodgings, and surprisingly good food. But meals occur at odd hours, dependent on the times of prayers and religious duties.

This may be your only chance to hear genuine Byzantine hymns sung by voices honoring Christian musical tradition. And when you aren’t following the prayers, you can worship nature instead. Paths pass through places of unbelievable natural beauty and rare flora and fauna. Or you can choose to assist the monks in their daily tasks.