Posts in category: Η Ιστορία της Μονής 1 – Ξενοφωντος

The Holy Xenofon provided for the construction of a medium-sized monastery complex, and wrote a Testament or Typiko (Book of Rules), which regulated different issues of the operation and communal life of the fathers in the Monastery. After Xenofon resigned as Abbot in 1018, the leadership of the Monastery was assumed by his brother Theodoros, who directed the Monastery at least until 1035. That year was the first time the Monastery is mentioned, obviously after.

The oldest historical proofs for the existence of the Monastery come from two documents from the Vatopedinos Monastery which are dated 998 and 1001, and are signed by the first owner, the Holy Xenofon, as ‘monk and Abbot of the Monastery of St Georgios’. The Holy Xenofon, who is mentioned also in the Life of St Athanasios the Athonite, was highly educated, which is evidenced by documents he both authored and wrote in his own hand, and his active participation in different issues involving the Athonite monasteries, as witnessed by his signature on relevant documents as late as 1017, the year the last one is dated to. The Monastery took its name from this holy monk, as is strongly supported by the monk Iakovos Neasketiotis in his 19th century work Αθωνιάς (‘Athos’).

A long-standing, respected tradition of the Monastery, based on evidence in its art and the composition of its hymns, connects its founding with St Xenofon the Senator in the 6th century A.D., and in particular with the construction of a small chapel dedicated to St Dimitrios, surrounded by a number of buildings. This tradition places the founding of the Monastery in the period before that of the Holy Athonite (St Athanasios) – the obscure phase of Athonite monasticism – which in some cases has been confirmed by evidence from recent archaeological excavations.