Monastery of St Panteleimon

Infobox Orthodox monastery
name = St. Panteleimon Monastery
name_local= Άγιος Παντελεήμων


Jurisdiction=Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
established= 1167
disestablished=still active
Location=Mt Athos, Greece
dedicated to=St Panteleimon
celebration=
Founder=Russian Monks

St. Panteleimon Monastery (Greek: Άγιος Παντελεήμων, "Aghios Panteleimon";Russian: Пантелеймонов, known as Ρωσσικόν, Rossikon), is a Russian Orthodox monastery built on the south-west side of the peninsula of Mt. Athos in Greece. It is the largest of the many monasteries on the peninsula.

History

The monastery was founded by several monks from Kiev Rus in the 11th century, which is why it is known as 'Rossikon', and traditionally it was inhabited by Kiev and later by Russian Orthodox monks. It was recognized as a separate monastery in 1169.

The monastery prospered in the 16th and 17th centuries being lavishly sponsored by the Tsars of Moscovy, but it declined dramatically in the 18th century to the point that there were only two Russian and two Bulgarian monks left by 1730.

The construction of the present monastery on a new site, closer to the seashore, was carried out during the first two decades of the nineteenth century, with the financial help of the ruler of Moldo-Wallachia, Skarlatos Kallimachos. Russian monks numbered 1,000 in 1895, 1,446 in 1903, and more than 2,000 by 1913. During the Tatar yoke in Russia, most of the monks were Greeks and Serbs. Today, due to a great decrease in monastic vocations, only 35 monks live in the monastery, which occupies the nineteenth rank in the hierarchical order of the twenty Athonite monasteries. It is coenobitic (i.e. it is a communal monastic life). It also contains four sketes.

The Monastery of St Panteleimon was repeatedly gutted by fires, most famously in 1307 (when Catalan pirates set it on fire) and in 1968. The first Russian leader to visit the monastery was President Vladimir Putin (on September 9, 2005).

In the modern era

Today, the monastery features the architecture of a small town, with buildings of various heights and many domes. It is the largest of the monasteries on the peninsula. [cite book|pages=p. 70|author=Norman, Edward|title=The House of God: Church Architecture, Style and History|publisher=Thames & Hudson|date=1990|isbn=978-0-500-28556-5 ] Although destroyed by a fire in 1968, one wing of the monastery was used as the guest quarters, with a capacity for 1,000 monks. The monastery's katholikon (main church) was built between 1812–1821 and is dedicated to St. Panteleimon. It features the same style found in all the Athonite churches. Aside from the katholikon, the monastery has many smaller chapels.

The Library is housed is a separate building in the monastery's court. It contains 1,320 Greek manuscripts and another 600 Slavonic ones, as well as 25,000 printed books. In addition, the Library has a few priceless relics, such as the head of Saint Panteleimon, one of the most popular saints in Russia. The 19th-century monastery bells are said to be the largest in Greece. There is a daughter community at the monastery at New Athos, Abkhazia.

Notable monks

Notable former monks of the monastery include Silouan the Athonite and Archimandrite Sophrony.

References

External links

* [http://www.mountathos.gr/ Mount Athos Website]
* [http://www.skiouros.net/voyages/2002/athos/_panteleimonos.en.html Photographs]