When you first see a monastery on Mount Athos, such as the Xenofontos Monastery, it makes you feel like you are standing in front of something reaching from another world. The monumental dimensions, the aspect of the buildings, the materials, all clearly belong to other periods of time and seem to serve the functions of another society. The notion of monument comes to mind, which seems to best fit the present-day visitor's visual experience. Yet, it is a living organism that has struggled and evolved in this location for more than a thousand years: It is a monastic brotherhood. Together with the present members, the collective spirit of the past members light the lamps in front of the icons, pray for the founders and the deceased brothers, receive the guests, chant the liturgical hymns, read the sacred texts, cultivate the gardens and fields, and paint the icons. The contemporary monastery is in effect a diachronic fraternity of a thousand years.
