In 1923, the well-known writer Fotis Kontoglou visited Mt Athos for the first time, where he spent two months. Several other visits would follow. He writes:
'I walked to the monastery of Karakallos. There I had some great time; the fathers treated me as one of their own. This monastery is a cenobium, and the abbot then was a holy man, his name was Kordatos; a quiet elder, peaceful, a true shepherd, he was born in Alatsata. The port house was ceremonious, a Byzantine tower built on a rock. I stayed there too for several days.'
(This description would apply to the current Abbot of the Monastery, Archimandrite Philotheos, as well.)
While a guest in the Karakallos Monastery, Kontoglou comments:
'I am sitting in the window of my cell. Time to be in peace. My eye goes down to the sea, which is not further than a gunshot. Between two shadowy green hills, I see the waves bursting out, with white foams and heavy roar, at the edge of the ravine. Further to the right, a downy bump hides up to the middle the tower of the port house. I see only its upper part, and its ramparts make me find myself in years old ... '
