A small monastery-shrine built by St Pavlos of Xeropotamos Monastery proved to be the beginning of a great Athonite monastery which, as did all of the monasteries on Mt Athos, passed through periods of prosperity but also of great difficulty, either because of economic factors, or because of the presence of the Ottomans on the Athos peninsula for almost 500 years. The prestigious Monastery of today has a rich history, carved into every stone of its buildings. Serbian and Romanian leaders were at times very generous towards the Monastery, and helped shaped its unique character. However, the most important accomplishment in the history of the Monastery is its successful preservation of the Athonite monastic tradition. What role did the island of Kefallonia play in the Monastery’s fate?