Monasteries of Mount Athos

The Holy Monastery of St. Paul, fourteenth in the hierarchy of Athonite monasteries, is located at the western foot of Mount Athos and is dedicated to the Presentation of Christ in the temple. It was founded, based on written records, at the end of the 10th – early 11th century from the blessed Pavlos Xeropotaminos.

The early Byzantine monastery is hardly known and probably concerned a fairly small establishment at the top of a rock face, which could be associated with the monastery mentioned in records from the second half of the 11th century by ktetor Paul, dedicated to the Theotokos (God-bearer). Certain architectural members of the 11th century probably originated from the building of this old monastery, such as two mullions of windows, part of a pier of the altar screen, fragments of a marble inlay flooring (opus sectile), as well as the in situ preserved parts of similar flooring in the chapel St. George.

At the beginning of the 14th century the monastery was already deserted, probably due to Catalan raids, and was reduced to a cell dependent on the Xeropotamou monastery. In 1383/4, two Serbian noblemen Gerasim Radonja and Anthony Bagaš retrieved the abandoned establishment from the Xeropotamou monastery and restored it. 

The monastery underwent extensive construction work with the generous donation of Serbian despot George Branković (1427-1456), who financed the construction of a three-storey wing in 1447 (as is known from the ktetor inscription of the katholikon now lost), with the larder in the lower level, the sacristy in the middle and the katholikon in the upper level. Written records provide information about the use of the spaces in this wing.

Rulers of the Danubian Principalities, such as Stephen the Great of Moldavia (1457-1504) and Neagoe Basarab of Wallachia (1512-1521), were benefactors of the monastery in the late 15th and 16th centuries. 

The monastery has been particularly prosperous since the beginning of the 19th century onwards. The building complex was expanded and the new katholikon was built, with the foundation being laid in 1816; however, construction began after the end of the Greek Revolution and lasted from 1839 to 1844, according to the ktetor inscription. The monastery underwent significant building extensions until the end of the 19th century, which determined its architectural character to this day.

The monastery has all the characteristics of an enclosed fortified complex, with a confined courtyard compared to other monasteries, dominated by the katholikon, and equipped with elaborate marble works (iconostasis, shrines, etc.) crafted by the Tinian marble sculptors Zacharias Filippotis, Ioannis Lyritis and others. Chapels, the synod building, the sacristy, monastic cells, the dorter and other auxiliary spaces are located in the wings of the precinct. The monastery has twelve chapels, the most notable of which is that of St. George, with frescoes from 1552 attributed to the painter Antonio. The tower of the monastery was built with the contribution of the ruler of Wallachia Neagoe Basarab (1521). He also financed the construction of the coastal fort of the monastery, which was expanded shortly afterwards with the contribution of the ruler of Moldavia Petru Rareș (1527-1538, 1541-1546), as we are informed by the detached ktetor inscription, which recent research has associated with the coastal fort.

There used to be a marble fountain in the monastery, which is preserved in fragments, carved in 1884, possibly by the great Tinian marble sculptor Ioannis Chalepas.

Valuable portable icons, liturgical vessels and holy relics are kept in the sacristy. The most venerable heirloom of the monastery is the Gifts of the Three Wise Men, a donation from Mara Branković, kept in an elaborate reliquary. Among other heirlooms, three remarkable works crafted in workshops in Venice, of the late 13th – early 14th century, stand out: a wooden cross with representations on parchment, a diptych also with representations on parchment and an icon with a representation of Christ in stained glass. 

The excavation work that was carried out a few years ago in the monastery as part of the NSPA project implementation, brought to light important architectural remains and portable findings. In the northern part of the courtyard, the foundation of part of the three-storey wing, built in 1447 with the contribution of the Serbian despot George Branković, was revealed, and Byzantine and post-Byzantine architectural members, as well as fragments of the mural decoration of the old katholikon came to light. Excavation research on the coastal fort revealed previously unidentified architectural features and a secure dating was documented in the first half of the 16th century.  

Two sketae belong to the monastery of St. Paul: Nea Skete and St. Demetrios (Lakkoskete). 

D. Liakos