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.
