Mount Athos is also known as the Holy Mount. This is the only area of Greece completely dedicated to religious service. Political conquests almost destroyed the monasteries, but they have survived.
Mount Athos is known in Greek as Ayion Oros, the Holy Mountain. It is the 'monk’s republic,' the only place in Greece that is completely dedicated to prayer and religious worship. It is an autonomous Greek province with twenty monasteries, along with some smaller hermitages. The Holy Mount is 50 km long and between 8 and 12 km wide. Covering about 350 square kilometres, Mount Athos is in the entire third, eastern and most beautiful peninsula of Halkidiki, called the peninsula of Athos. The peninsula is extraordinarily beautiful. The highest point is a huge cone 2033 meters high with a treeless crest, and slopes fully covered by ancient evergreens.
The Ancients knew Halkidiki as Flegra – the Place of Fire. This is where an epic battle for fire took place between the Olympian gods and the Giants. The Athos peninsula was named for the giant Athos, who threw a mountain at the gods. In another version it is said that Poseidon buried the giant under the rocks. Ancient geographers listed six towns in the peninsula, and it is mentioned for the first time in the history of the Persian expedition against Greece in 493 B.C. historically, by the Fourth Century the population of the peninsula was completely Christian.
Monastic life began with the arrival of two men. First was one Petros of Athos, arriving at the end of the 8th century. The other was Euthymios the New who arrived about 860. Organized, community based monastic life was instituted in 963 with the founding of the coenobium of Great Lavra. Reputation attracted monks who came to live an ascetic life. Later, about 1000 AD, at least eight more monasteries were built. By the end of the century, there were 7,000 monks.
As the Byzantine Empire dissolved, the Franks took over. There were massacres, sacking, and arsons because the brothers refused to accept this rule. Next, the Ottomans made an appearance. The mountain was conquered and both a poll tax and a tithe were imposed on the monks. The monks could not afford to stay and so the mountain was almost deserted. The next disaster occurred in 1822 when Turkish forces murdered monks, women and children, destroyed their printing press, and looted whatever treasures they could find.
The mountain came under Greek sovereignty on 5 November 1912. When it was liberated between nine and ten thousand monks lived here. It fell into decline and by the 1000th anniversary; the festival was seen as the mountain's funeral. But a decade later, in the 1970's, young people sought Mt Athos and an ascetic life.
The monastic day is divided into three: prayer, work and sleep. Prayer is public or private. Monks join publicly for communal worship. The most common services are Vespers, Compline, Midnight Mass, Matins and the Liturgy. Each rite becomes more elaborate on feast days or on the vigils before festivals. Most services happen at night while the world sleeps. Private worship is short prayer. Rosaries are frequently used.
All monks work for the monasteries. In general, their diet is very frugal with bread, oil, wine, olives, and vegetables. Meat is totally banned in the monasteries.
The ascetics make no provision for food, and have only what passers-by may leave. The monks on Athos maintain a tradition of hospitality to all. Many find food and lodging here, free of charge. Guest chambers are always open, and everyone who passes by will be offered a glass of water, ouzo, loukoumi and coffee.

Free information about Prefecture Halkidiki: http://www.toplink.gr/gr … index.html

About hotels in Halkidiki you can visit: http://www.toplink.gr/gr … index.html

Don't forget to visit the wineries in The Holy Mountain (Agion Oros): http://www.toplink.gr/gr … index.html

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