Mount Athos

Mount Athos- The Garden of the Mother of God

Mount Athos is the oldest surviving monastic community in the world.

According to the legend Panagia, the Virgin Mary and Mother of God, was sailing accompanied by St John the Evangelist on her way from Joppa to Cyprus to visit Lazarus. When the ship was blown out of course to then pagan Athos it was forced to drop anchor near the port of Klement, close to the present monastery of Iviron. The Virgin walked ashore and, overwhelmed by the wonderful and wild natural beauty of the mountain she blessed it and asked her Son for it to be her garden. A voice was heard; “let this place be your inheritance and your garden, a paradise and a haven of salvation for those seeking to be saved”. Since that moment the mountain was consecrated as the garden of the Mother of God and is out of bounds to any other women.