The Cathedral of the Holy Retreat of Timios Prodromos of Akritochorion.

The Holy Retreat
Of Timios Prodromos

The Holy Retreat Of Timios Prodromos

In addition to the above, in the context of the spiritual work currently carried out by Abbot Alexios, the creation and operation of the Holy Retreat of Timios Prodromos in Akritochori of Sidirokastron. This nunnery employs more than forty nuns, under the inspired spiritual guidance of the elderly Jacobi, performing a spiritual work that rejuvenates not only the inhabitants of the surrounding areas but also many other regions of Greece. A real jewel is the Katholikon of the Retreat, built in architectural imitation of Hagia Sophia of Ohrid.

Detail from the courtyard, where a clay storage vessel (pithari) is visible.

Metochia Outside Mt Athos

Metochia Outside Mt Athos

The Monastery has a large number of metochia in the area of Stomios, in Kalamaria, known mainly by its Turkish name ‘Tsali-metochi’, with the church of St Trifonos. It also owns the small monastery of Ieromnimos in Vourvoura together with its large lands (donated by the Emperor Vasileios II), the metochi of St Georgios in Ierissos and the metochi of the same name in Zavernikeia, of St Kyriaki in Strymona, of St Dimitrios Zdrelea in Oltenia, and methochia in St Nikolaos, Chalkidiki, in Skopelos, in Limnos, in Mytilene, and in other places.
Furthermore, in the area of the Thessaloniki race track, the small monastery of the Virgin Mary was recently identified as having been dedicated to the Xenofontos Monastery by the monk Laurentios Kladonas in 1324, together with the church of Neas Panagias.

Chimneys on the roofs of buildings in the Monastery.

Cells

Cells

In the past, the Monastery acquired many properties both within and outside Mt Athos. Within Mt Athos, these include metochia, cells, or simple estates: the Monastery of St Nikolaos of Chrysokamaros and its estates, the small monastery of the Prophet Daniel, the Falakros Monastery, the small monasteries of Makrigenos and Monoxylitos, the neighbouring small monastery of Matzouki, and the small monasteries of St Filippou and Efraim.

Alexandros Papadiamantis.

The ‘Saints Of Literature’
And The Skete

The ‘Saints Of Literature’ And The Skete

The skete of the Annunciation was also particularly favoured by the great author Alexandros Papadiamantis of Skiathos, who lived as an ascetic for a period of time in a kalyvi of the skete. His cousin, the monk Andronikos, who in secular life was the similarly well-known author Alexandros Moraitidis, practised in the same kalyvi for a short time.
It is worth noting that in the skete Xenofontos, the Great Martyr Akakios also resided for a short time when he was preparing to be martyred together with his spiritual father Nikolaos.

The skete of the Annunciation.

The Skete Of
The Annunciation

The Skete Of The Annunciation

The skete of the Annunciation, a dependency which is located a short distance northeast of the Monastery, was founded in 1753 when the first Charter was written, while its main church (kyriako) was inaugurated in 1766. In earlier times, about 40 kalyvia were located around the skete, although today a much smaller number are inhabited.
Important personages periodically resided in this skete, such as the hieromonk Sabbas the Peloponnesian, who was appointed to the position of community leader (koinobiarchos), having served as the first Abbot of the St Panteleimonos Monastery during the restoration of the cenobitic system there in 1803. During the first decades of the 20th century, the Elder Ilarios resided here. He was an author of hymns, and composed canons to the Virgin Mary and to a number of saints. His works are contained in two codices written in his own hand, which are safeguarded in the kalyvi of the Holy Apostles.

Η κατασκευή της Μονής γίνεται αποκλειστικά από φυσικά υλικά, με σεβασμό στην αγιορείτικη παράδοση.

A Great Catastrophe

A Great Catastrophe

Unfortunately, a catastrophic fire which broke out on 24 February 1817 in the (then) newly-built southwest wing destroyed valuable documents in the archives of the Monastery and many artefacts, resulting in a significant gap in our knowledge about the historic past of the Monastery. During the following centuries, the library collection was altered either by the addition of new codices – such as the valuable, decorated Slavic parchment Book of the Four Gospels donated to the Monastery by the Moldavian leader Alexandros Lapusneanu – or the removal of existing ones – as in 1596, when the Monastery was forced, under difficult circumstances, to sell an unknown number of manuscripts to the Xeropotamos Monastery.
Today, many important post-Byzantine manuscripts can be found in the library.

Volumes from the 18th century in the library of the Monastery.

In Numbers

In Numbers

The library of the Monastery is housed in a secure area on the southwest side, and has a collection of manuscripts and printed books. Specifically, it has about 550 manuscripts, of which eight are parchment and three are parchment liturgical scrolls. It is important to note that there are a number of music manuscripts in the collection, while many of the more recent ones, mainly liturgical, are not yet known to the general public, since they are not included in the published catalogues which have been circulated. The library has about 15,000 printed books, including both rare, early editions and contemporary ones. In fact, the Monastery’s collection of early editions is one of the largest on Mt Athos today.

The interior of the sacristy.

Rare Artefacts

Rare Artefacts

There are many objects in the sacristy, including excellent examples of goldwork embroidered objects (e.g. επιτάφιοι, epitafioi, the sacred liturgical 'tapestries' depicting the entombment of Christ; and επιτραχήλια, epitrachleia, liturgical stoles), silver objects (e.g. chalices, blessing crosses, εξαπτέρυγα, exapteryga, decorated accessories for the base and top of poles for ecclesiastical banners; εγκόλπια, engolpia, medallions; and other liturgical vessels), and small versions of ecclesiastical objects, which for centuries were used by the fathers during worship.
In the publication Guide to the Artefact Exhibit, the visitor to the Monastery can find information about the most important of the artifacts displayed in the sacristy.

An exquisite blessings cross, set with precious stones on a wooden base. A work of the 18th century.

General

General

The sacristy is located in the north wing and was inaugurated during the celebration of the thousand-year anniversary of the Monastery in 1998. It is the place where sacred artifacts which the Monastery has acquired over the course of its history are classified according to type and displayed in cases in a way that pilgrims can easily admire and praise the Beneficent Lord.