The seven-stored monastery of Simonopetra is the most bold construction
of the peninsula, and is dedicated to the birth of Christ. The name comes from
the founder of the monastery, Hosios Simon, who lived in Athos in the mid 14th
c.The Katholicon was built after the last fire and has no frescoes. The monastery
has 15 chapels and 5 Kellia in Karyes.
At the end of 16th c. the monastery is burnt down, rebuilt and reburnt
in the beginning of the 17th c. This long period of decline is interrupted by
shorts periods of prosperity. At the end of the last century, the monastery is
one more time burnt, and rebuilt with funds from Russia.
Among the monastery's heirlooms, the most important is a piece of
Saviour's Cross, holy reliquaries and others. The library, after the last fire,
possesses only a few modern manuscripts and books.
The monastery is inhabited by a brotherhood of 60 monks.
Map & Distances
Longitude:
24o 14' 45.22" E
Latitude:
40o 11' 23.81" N
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