On a rocky slope at the southwest of the Mount Athos peninsula, the Holy Monastery of Agiou Pavlou stands between a steep stream and a torrent that carries large rocks down to the coast. For some time, the torrent definitely played a large role in why the monastery was originally known as Xeropotamos before that name was permanently assigned to the other of the two monasteries that St Pavlos founded in the area. Some aspects of the early history of the Monastery are obscure due to a lack of information, but others will be illuminated through the material provided in this 'visit'.
