One of the attractive tourist in Greece: Mount Athos

Mount Athos is the name given to the mountainous area that makes up the easternmost peninsula of the three which extend southwards from the Chalkidiki peninsula, located in Central Macedonia, northern Greece. In Greek it is called Άγιον Όρος (Agion Oros, Holy Mountain). In classical times, the peninsula was called Ακτή (ACTI).



It is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries (Greek, Romanian, Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian and Georgian) that make up an autonomous territory under Greek sovereignty (Autonomous Monastic State of the Holy Mountain). This account allows you to be exempt from certain laws, both Greek and from the European Union, giving authority to the territory of refuse entry to all women. Also, it is not required to follow the Schengen Agreement. On Mount Athos monks can live only male and the population (2005) of around 2,200 inhabitants.

In Greek mythology, Athos was the name of one of the giants who challenged the Greek gods. Athos threw a huge stone Poseidon which fell in the Aegean Sea, making the current peninsula. In other versions, Poseidon used the mountain to bury the defeated giant

According to Herodotus, the inhabitants of the island of Lemnos populated the peninsula, then called Acte. The geographer and historian I a century. C. Strabo identifies five cities on the peninsula (although archaeologists have not found the exact location): Dion, Cleonae, Thyssos, Olophyxos and Acrothoï. Two cities were also established in the Classical period: Acanthus (now Ierissos or Erisso) and Sane. Some of these cities minted their own currency.

The peninsula was the passage of the invasion of Xerxes I. Xerxes commanded to build a canal across the isthmus to avoid the out skirt (his father, Darius I, lost 300 ships and 20,000 men during the First Medical War to try to skirt the same out). After the death of Alexander the Great, the architect proposed Dinócrates completely excavate the mountain to turn it into a statue of Alexander.

Byzantine and Ottoman Empires [edit]
The monastic community of Mount Athos was founded in 963 with the help of Emperor Basil II under the Rule of St. Basil when St. Athanasius of Athos established the monastery of Great Laura which remains today the greatest of all state and became the largest and most famous of all the monasteries of the East, is actually a province monástica2

The area enjoyed the protection of the Byzantine Empire during the following centuries. The Fourth Crusade in the thirteenth century and the arrival of Roman Catholics in the area forced the monks to seek protection from Pope Innocent III to the restoration of the Byzantine Empire. Mount Athos suffered the plundering of Catalan mercenaries in the fourteenth century.



Simonos Petra Monastery.
The Byzantine Empire disappeared in the fifteenth century and was replaced by the new Ottoman Empire, the Islamic character. A monasteries were imposed high taxes. The population of monks decreased in the following centuries and did not begin to recover until the nineteenth century with donations and Orthodox monks from new territories such as Russia, Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia.

Modernity [edit]
In 1912, during the First Balkan War, the Ottomans were expelled from the peninsula, came under Greek sovereignty after the end of World War II.

Currently, the monasteries of Mount Athos have been affected by forest fires as occurred in August 1990 and in May 2004 destroyed a part of the monastery of Helandari. Given the location of many of these monasteries, sometimes on top of small hills, makes these fires cause considerable damage.

Politics [edit]
The peninsula is part of the Greek state, however, has a self whose current status was achieved recognition in 1924 by the modern government of Greece and the rules that govern the community drafted: Privileges of the Holy Mountain of Athos. These regulations became law in 1926. Consists of 20 monasteries with a capital and administrative center in Karyes, where the governor who represents the Greek state is. Besides the monasteries, there are 12 small communities of monks, called sketae and various chapels.

Falls within the spiritual jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople and the government is the Holy Community (Iera Koinotita), consisting of 20 representatives of the 20 monks monasteries. The party executive and judicial authority is exercised by the Holy Supervision (Iera Epistasia), a committee of 4 monks (epistates) chosen from among the 20 monasteries, following a period of one year, starting this June. The leading of the Holy Supervision is called Protos (named after a monk who had this title) (protos in Greek primary means first) proceed this in any of the first 5 monasteries of the hierarchy that orders the 20 monasteries of Mount Athos .



The Greek State is represented by the Governor of the Holy Mountain and falls under the jurisdiction of the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs. Its function is to oversee the operations of the charters and the functioning of public services: police, customs, etc.. According to the charters, Mount Athos is exempt from paying any taxes.

Entry is permitted up to 120 people (10 110 Greeks and foreigners, all men). Foreigners are given some initial limit of 4-day visit. The only way in is getting the diamonitrion (literally: permit) are processed and removed in Thessaloniki in the Greek peoples Ouranoupolis or Ierissos (a first for the boats to the west coast and the second for ships bound to the east, with the busiest Ouranopolis) on both ends of the canal of Xerxes. From Ouranopolis, take the boat to Dafni Pilgrim, the main port of entry into Athos and the second largest city. From there you can take smaller boats to other monasteries, a bus (mainly to go to Karyes) or hike the many trails. The land communication with Greece is not allowed. The main border post with Ouranopolis is located in Frangokastro.