Secrets of Athos. Secrets and signs of holy Athos

Mikhail Yakushev: “Apostle Andrew the First-Called is a symbol for us, he was always the first”

We bring to your attention an interview with the vice-president of the Foundation of the Holy All-Praised Apostle Andrew the First-Called and the Center of National Glory of Russia, historian-orientalist Mikhail Ilyich Yakushev, recorded during the visit to Jerusalem of the delegation of the Foundation of St. Andrew the First-Called for the Holy Fire in April 2008..

Mikhail Ilyich, in the course of 2 days I came across your work on the St. Andrew the First-Called and saw a Russian man who loves Russia with all his strength. I would like you to tell a little about your activities in the Foundation, what are the main areas of work you are leading, what you are striving for, what are the interesting plans in the Foundation and other public organizations in which you participate.

The Foundation of the Holy All-Praised Apostle Andrew the First-Called and the Center of National Glory of Russia (CNS), which was formed from it, are two public organizations that became the founders and initiators of the world public forum "Dialogue of Civilizations". If the third organization has already become an international organization, then the two previous ones - the Foundation of St. Andrew the First-Called and the Center of National Glory - are organizations that have a Russian and Orthodox face, and we not only do not hide this, but generally show it proudly to the whole world that here we are such.

Mikhail Yakushev (far right)

Naturally, the programs of the St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation and the Center of National Glory are divided into two parts. The programs, which have an internal political sound and are necessarily aimed at Russia, are led by the vice-president of the St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation and the Center for National Glory V.V. Bushuev. I am involved in all international activities of our foundations, since in the past I was a diplomat of the Soviet and Russian schools, I worked in Tunisia for 5 years, I worked in the Holy Land in Israel for 5 years.

Does the Foundation's name in honor of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called have any significance for the Foundation's activities?

The foundation is named after St. The All-Praised Apostle Andrew the First-Called is an apostle who, according to legend, passed through those lands that later became Kievan Rus, and the Moscow kingdom, and the Russian Empire, and the Soviet Union, and Russia. Attitude towards St. Andrew the First-Called has always been special, in tsarist times, since the time of Peter the Great, the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called was the main award of Russia. And our Foundation has always had a special attitude towards this apostle, and not only because he baptized those lands that inhabit our Slavic peoples and reached Scandinavia, but also because for us it is a symbol, he was always the first. He was the first whom our Lord Jesus Christ called to the apostolic ministry, and he was the first who preached the word of God to those peoples who now inhabit all of Europe to Scandinavia.

The very name of the Foundation obliges a lot, therefore, having come to work at the St. Andrew the First-Called and the Center for National Glory of Russia, it was important for me to understand what is special about these organizations. While working here, I could not imagine that someday I would leave the public service, but now the Lord has directed it so that it came in handy that I once worked here in the Holy Land, work here helped to understand all the subtleties, complexities and ups and downs of inter-Christian communication among the Christian communities in the Holy Land and the attitude of other confessions towards them.

Realizing this, our Foundation has always tried not to bring discord and conflict between these confessions and Christian communities, because we know from history how these conflicts led to tragic consequences. Holy places for any believer, whether he is Orthodox, whether he is a Catholic, whether he is a Protestant, whether he is a representative of the Armenian Apostolic Church, whether he is a Syriac-Jacobite, a Coptic, a Monophysite - these are holy places, any Christian of the above-mentioned denominations treats them just as touchingly.

When visiting the Holy Land, delegations from the Foundation and the CNS always visit the Patriarch of Jerusalem. Is this a sign of special recognition of the Jerusalem Church?

By virtue of historical law, the Mother of all Churches is the Byzantine Church of Jerusalem, it is the Jerusalem Patriarchate, and we proceed from this initially, since St. Constantine the Great was the founder of the creation of the diocese together with Bishop Macarius, on whose initiative, by the way, the written legislation of the holy places was created, supported by Emperor Constantine. Initially, the Jerusalem Church treated any Christian pilgrims as its own children, who always received a blessing from the Byzantine Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem. And then history shows that there were so many historical upheavals - the Arab Caliphate, separation from Byzantium, but the Church of Jerusalem always remained the Mother of all Churches. And when we, as the St. Andrew the First-Called come here, we always understand that our meeting and audience with the Patriarch of Jerusalem and All Palestine Theophilus, as well as with any Jerusalem Primate of the Mother of all Churches, is a meeting with the primate of that particular Orthodox Church, of which we are children in this canonical territory.

It is known that you pay special attention to the topic of the Crimean War, what exactly determined the in-depth study of this topic, what points and accents do you consider important for understanding the historical development of Russia and its presence in the Middle East?

This topic arose during my work at the Russian Embassy in Tel Aviv in Israel for five years. Once, when I was in Bethlehem, an Arab priest asked me if I knew that the Crimean War began with the den of the Nativity of Christ? Of course, as an oriental historian, his words seemed somewhat ridiculous to me. I could not associate the Crimean War with the Holy Land. I remembered Nakhimov, Sinop, I remembered the siege of Sevastopol, but I also remembered the advice of this priest, who said: "Dig into your Foreign Ministry archives, God willing, you will find something."

And what? Did you find something?

Indeed, when I was able to delve into these archives, for which I thank you very much and bow low to our current Russian ambassador to Israel, Peter Vladimirovich Stegniy, who opened these archives to me, so what I saw there showed how right that priest was Indeed, Russia started the Crimean War from Bethlehem and partly from Jerusalem. The archives of the foreign policy of the Russian Empire contain documents showing the ins and outs of this entire conflict. Then it was called the “holy question” or “the question of the holy places of Palestine,” and it was very important for Russia to understand why the war began in Palestine, but was carried out on Russian territory.

Russia was subjected to a "crusade" by the Ottoman Empire, which was the first to declare war on the Russian Empire, and we do not forget this. Academician Tarle somehow missed this moment, did not pay attention to it, but in March 1854 Great Britain and France declared war on the Russian Empire, and in January 1855, Sardinia, which joined them, supplemented this host of states of the crescent and the Catholic-Protestant cross in this cross hike. And the documents contained in the archives of the foreign policy of the Russian Empire show the groundlessness of the accusations against the Russian emperor, about his supposedly proactive role in this conflict. By the way, academician Tarle also raises this slander against the Emperor Nicholas I Pavlovich, who during his lifetime and even after was called Unforgettable, and not by any means "Palkin". And archival sources show how complicated this conflict was, how subtly French diplomacy behaved, and I have always tried to emphasize the role of Russian diplomacy in this matter. At present, archival materials, the work of Western, as well as Ottoman and Turkish historians, show that Russian diplomacy underestimated the factor that France, and not the Franciscans or the Latin Patriarchate, had a special right to patronize Christians in the Ottoman Empire. We had the same right to patronize the Orthodox on the basis of the Kuychuk-Garanji Treaty of 1774. It turns out that our archives just say that this treaty did not correspond to the treaty that France had. Louis XV received a firman, granting him from Mahmud I all the preemptive rights enjoyed by France. Therefore, France looked more legitimate for the Porte, was more empowered to protect Christians and met the requirements that were put forward here in Bethlehem than Russia, which claimed to be the patron of the entire Orthodox population of the Ottoman Empire, and then it was 10-12 million of the population of the Ottoman Empire.

And now, the more we open and study these archives, we understand that this conflict brought evil to the whole world in 1 million victims and it is even called the proto-world war. Of course, it is very important to understand the nature of this conflict. Holy places are the thing that can start a world war. Realizing this in modern times, we better understand what the leaders of our countries, our states were guided by 150-160 years ago, when the issue of holy places was on the agenda of world politics. I repeat once again that it is very important to study the archives, publish your works and try to understand what the Crimean War was like.

You have been working in Israel for five years, how do you feel about the legacy and activities of the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society in the Holy Land, since you are its full member?

You know, coming here and approaching Jerusalem, you come across such an interesting concept as Russian Palestine. We know Russian Alaska, which no longer belongs to us, the Americans no longer remember this. We know such a concept as Russian Palestine, which, when I was a diplomat, was incomprehensible to neither the Israelis nor the Arabs, i.e. in their historical memory, in recent history, there is no such concept. But at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century, Russian Palestine existed as a special concept, where Russian money officially circulated. And, in fact, people who came from the Russian Empire felt at home, because there was a Russian courtyard where they could speak their native Russian language, perform divine services and not feel like they were somewhere in a foreign land.

The Palestinian Committee, the Palestinian Commission under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society itself, headed by the Grand Duke, the brother of Emperor Alexander III, the Moscow mayor Sergei Alexandrovich Romanov, played a big role in the creation of this concept. It was precisely due to the fact that the august persons headed this Society, and the emperor himself was the inspirer, initiator and, in fact, like Constantine the Great in his time, the organizer of this process, it just happened that, thanks to the royal will, the concept of Russian Palestine became real . The emperor's brother Sergei Alexandrovich, who was entrusted with the honorary commission to head the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society, carried out this commission with honor. After his tragic death at the hands of the terrorist Kalyaev in the Kremlin, his wife Grand Duchess Elisaveta Feodorovna took it upon herself to continue to lead this Society, which officially became the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society in 1889, and its registration, here in the Middle East, begins in 1882 years, and, it must be said, that there was then neither the state of Israel, nor the Palestinian National Authority, nor other Arab states around: Syria, Lebanon and Jordan, there was the Ottoman Turkish Empire. The appearance of this organization is much older and the attitude towards this organization here in the Middle East is also of a special nature. It is gratifying that now Russia at the state level is again trying to revive Russian Palestine in the Holy Land. God willing, everything will work out for us.

Thank you, I hope we will finish it soon and it will be released in early summer.

Questions were asked by Pavel Platonov

Jerusalem

There are amazing books in our church stores. They consist of small stories about the life of the ancient ascetic fathers, who laid the foundations of the ascetic tradition. These stories are scientifically called apothegms. An apothegma is next to a familiar story, like a short Japanese haiku rhyme next to a poem. But in small apothegms, the deepest layer of internal struggle, often humble and quiet, comes to life, in the words of the elders, the wisdom of rare perfection sparkles in short flashes. I remember my first reading of Apophtegms. I was both fascinated and absorbed, like a sponge, these wisdoms, surrounded by an almost fabulous entourage of antiquity.
Each time has its own characteristics. In the 4th-7th centuries there were apophtegms, in the 20th century we have letters from the elder John (Krestyankin), stories by Ivan Shmelev and other instructive works. But suddenly, with great joy, I discovered that apophtegms are still being written. The same style, the same hidden secret, the same wise look from a lonely cell. This discovery literally shocked me. Here, today, monks living the same, absolutely the same life as Anthony the Great, Arseny the Great, the two Macarios, Pimen, Pamvo, and many others - all those who inspired the Christian ecumene from Ireland to Babylon, to whom Rome listened with bated breath and Constantinople. Oh, you cynics and pessimists of all times and peoples! If today the inhabitants of Thebaid and the Nitrian desert have resurrected, then tomorrow next to us will be saints of the scale of Basil the Great and John Chrysostom! The Church is alive, otherwise it would be impossible! She is still the same as the same Christ living in our hearts!

What are these books? These are books telling about the life of the hermits of the Holy Mountain. The first thing that came across to me was “Athos Fatherland” by Archimandrite Ioannikius (Kotsonis) (Saratov, 2011).

Then “The Elders of the Athos Desert” by Hieromonk Philip (St. Petersburg, 2013).

And finally, the most complete three-volume anthology of the life of the hermits of Athos - "New Athos Patericon" (Moscow 2013, 2015). I emphasize once again that in form these are mostly short stories from the life of real elders, earthly angels.

These books are a real miracle! This is an open door to the secrets of the spiritual life of the ascetics of the Holy Mountain. Today, many have already visited this fertile garden of the Virgin. But to hear the speeches and teachings of the Athonite elders, whom not everyone manages to see! For years, languages ​​are no longer given to me, but through these books the holy fathers of our days, dead and alive, speak to me, and I thank God and all our brothers and sisters in Christ who have translated these words of eternal life to us.

P.S. It should be noted that these books should not be treated as instructions. But always, as in all other cases of life - with reasoning.

The Athos peninsula (about 80 km long, -12 km wide), washed by the waters of the Aegean Sea and located in the north-west of Greece, not far from the city of Thessaloniki, is of exceptional importance for the fate of Orthodoxy and the whole world. This is an ancient citadel of monasticism, which rightfully bears the name of the Holy Mountain.

The first monks settled here one and a half millennia ago. Gradually, by the providence of God, Athos becomes a place of residence for monks alone, a special monastic "republic" with its own self-government bodies and borders, with its own strict charter, forbidding, for example, women from entering here. A woman's foot has not set foot on this earth for more than a thousand years.

The history of Orthodox Athos is inextricably linked with the name of the Mother of God, the Most Pure Virgin Mary, Who is especially revered by all Athos residents, calling Her Abbess of the Holy Mountain, and the Mountain itself - Her Destiny. Here, according to church tradition, during Her earthly life She preached the Gospel. Here she spoke her well-known prophetic promise:

"For the free service of God, there is no other more convenient place than Mount Athos, which I received from My Son God as my inheritance, so that those who want to get away from worldly cares and embarrassments of the world can come there and serve God there without hindrance and calmly. From now on this mountain will be called My garden. I love this place much, and the time will come when it will be filled from end to end, north and south, with many monks. And if they work with all their hearts for God and faithfully keep His commandments, gifts I will vouchsafe them on the great day of my Son..."

Mount Athos, Holy Mount! .. How can I forget your unearthly beauties - the incessant whisper of the waves at the foot of the harsh, thoughtful rocks, the chirping of birds in your evergreen thickets, the majestic tent of the southern sky spread over you, caressing your eyes with either a cool, pristine blueness, or a feast colors of fiery sunsets and sunrises, then the mysterious twinkling of countless distant stars...

You walk along the path, which only a minute ago meandered among the huge coastal boulders polished by the sea, and now it is already steeply rising up, flowing in a bizarre serpentine along a mountain slope cut by gorges, rapidly lifting you higher and higher. A new turn, one more... And you are already at a transcendental height, leaving the sea far below, and snow-white gulls slowly hovering over its emerald smooth surface.

The joy of flight, light and space. Freedom and inspiration of the soul. Is it only the unique nature that fills her with this happiness? Of course not. After all, you are in the lot of the Most Holy Theotokos, in a special, amazing, fertile corner of the earth, over which the Veil of the Queen of Heaven is stretched. Here, in this ancient and eternally young monastic country, every pebble breathes holiness. There is nothing here that would not be sanctified by the prayerful feat and the labors of tens of thousands of Orthodox monks who lived in this place for a thousand and a half years. The stone masses of monasteries that look like fabulous medieval castles, the dwellings of hermits - kalyvas clinging at incredible heights to sheer cliffs like swallows' nests, sketes immersed in undisturbed silence - the breath of Eternity is felt in everything.

Prayer for the whole world is the main activity of the Holy Mountain monks. This is precisely a feat, all the incredible severity and height of which is known to a few. “To pray for the world is to shed blood,” testifies the Monk Silouan of Athos, who knew this truth from his personal experience and laid down, according to the gospel word, “his soul for his friends” in an invisible fiery battle with the hordes of hell, which tirelessly perform day and night his dark work of drawing people into destruction. The Devil with redoubled energy rises up against those chosen ones of God, who, like Elder Siluan, not only themselves reach the heights of purity and holiness, but also tear the souls of their neighbors out of his claws with their prayerful intercession before God. "Our brother is our life," said the saint. And he shed streams of tears for the millions of unfortunates who are in the darkness of godlessness and deprived of the joy of communion with their Creator.

In the morning, in the evening, at night - day after day, month after month, year after year, the brethren of twenty Athos monasteries gather for joint services in the monastic churches. Depriving themselves of rest and peace, after long and hard day's work, anchorites rise up for night prayers...

For fourteen hours in a row, or more, night Athos services can last. And they must not only be "withstand" as we, pilgrims, who are unaccustomed to such work and sometimes ready to simply fall to the floor from fatigue, "stand" them. It is necessary to maintain inner composure, constant attention, for it is precisely this, according to patristic thought, that is the "soul of prayer."

Loud blows to the metal beater break the silence of the serene night. In total darkness, illuminating our way with a pocket flashlight and making sure not to step on the snakes, which, as we were told, there are many here, we go to the temple of the monastery that sheltered us. Note, however, that death from the bite of a poisonous snake is an exceptional phenomenon on Athos. God keeps His chosen ones. Perhaps the only incident occurred once near this cell. Her former resident, bitten by a snake, found the strength only to climb onto a mule and drive to the gates of the nearest monastery, in front of which he fell down dead. But evidence has been preserved that this monk did not suffer by accident, for he fell into some kind of heresy. We are also edified - to be afraid of more spiritual, invisible "snakes", to preserve the purity of Holy Orthodoxy!

The brethren, who got up two hours ago, at midnight, for their cell prayer rule, have already gathered in a small cozy church. The Midnight Office is read slowly, Matins is performed, lasting until dawn. The turn of Lenten hours is coming, during which the well-known and revered Elder himself reads from beginning to end the Gospel of Mark. Watching the service of this hermit, physically weak, but flaming in spirit, we never ceased to be amazed at where his strength comes from. Here, the Liturgy is served to them with special reverence and awe. It's already one o'clock in the afternoon, but after a fifteen-minute meal, he is again busy - he is receiving new pilgrims who have come from Poland and Russia ...

Invariably even, quiet, calm, striving to give each of the new arrivals attention and love, the Elder remains so all this time and, it seems, does not need rest at all (without which, according to our calculations, he remained, almost the whole day). A marvelous example of selflessness, humility and meekness! These qualities of his, as the brethren testify, extend even to animals and insects.

“The elder,” said one of the novices, “does not bless killing scorpions. If you find one in your cell, carefully take it into a jar and take it somewhere far away, into the forest ...”

Athos is a majestic, inextinguishable, thousand-year-old lamp, a sacrifice to God on behalf of all mankind, perhaps one of the last, the few that still hold the right hand of the Most High, who, it seems, is about to lower His Punishing Sword on the planet stricken with sinful corruption.

How many Athos saints, whose names we know for sure, are interceding for us today in Heaven! And besides, there were, are and will be on the Holy Mountain until the end of the century, ascetics, unknown to the world, but playing a much greater role in its fate than, say, the most famous and influential politicians. Much has already been written about these ascetics hidden from the human eye, even more still remains behind the veil of secrecy. Here is what we read, for example, in one of the modern Svyatogorsk patericons.

Several decades ago, writes its compiler, Archimandrite Ioannikios (Kotsonis), a pious pilgrim, a Cretan by birth, came to Athos to venerate its shrines and see his brother, Father Euthymius, who labored here in a secluded kaliva, located north of Skete of Little Saint Anna. The nearest pier is far enough from this place, and, climbing uphill along tangled paths, the pilgrim lost his way after some time. For long hours he had to wander through the deserted, almost impassable thickets of Athos, before he finally reached the desired goal. Having greeted the owner of the cell and taking a breath after such a tiring journey, he immediately asked his brother: “When will you bury the deceased whom I saw nearby in a cave? I would also like to be present, because I have long dreamed of seeing how this rite on the Holy Mountain.

Father Evfimy was in complete bewilderment. He hadn't heard of any of the hermits living nearby. And together they went in search of a mysterious cave. She was never found. But in one place, where they suddenly felt a strong fragrance coming from nowhere, the pilgrim exclaimed: “She was here - right by this tree. When I went inside, I saw a magnificent Elder lying on a “funeral bed” (a special kind of stretcher which the body of the deceased is delivered to the burial place. D.V.). He was as if alive, and, only approaching, I realized that he was dead, because on him lay a cross and an icon of the Most Pure. A lighted lamp was burning nearby and this amazing aroma of incense was felt ... "

Or another case. "Be careful, the three of us live here. Do not disturb us, tell others not to disturb us," Elder Herman, who settled near the Great Lavra of St. Athanasius of Athos, in a place called Khairi. Some time later, a famous Romanian elder, Gerasim, who lived in the neighborhood, received a similar revelation. Passing by one place where a certain mysterious fragrant smell was always felt, and noticing once that it somehow intensified, the elder prayed to God to open the holy relics of His secret saints, and found the entrance to the cave blocked with stones. But when he began to free him, he suddenly heard a voice: "Do not disturb us. There are three of us. We lived here and do not want anyone to disturb us."

The virtuous and most reverent old man again closed the opening of the cave and left, glorifying God and these hidden saints - these secret flowers of the Athos desert. The place where the cave is located, he indicated only to his student, Hilarion.

Approaching the shrine requires special reverence and awe, purification, preparation of the soul. "He who is near Me is near the fire," says the Lord.

"Is this your" miraculous "icon?" - the bishop, who visited the Zograf Monastery, asked with disbelief and mockery and boldly pointed his index finger directly at the face of St. George the Victorious on the most revered image in the monastery. Sudden pain pierced the body of the blasphemer like a fiery arrow. But the most terrible thing was that the finger... stuck to the icon. And the unfortunate Bishop, after a surgical operation, had to forever leave his cut off tip on the cheek of the Great Martyr as a visible symbol of an unlawful touch with the Invisible.

This special case is the exception that proves the rule. Namely, the fact that everyone arriving on Athos experiences a strong sense of repentance for sins and his unworthiness even to walk on this earth. Not only to touch (even if only with lips) her unique spiritual treasures - ancient, truly miraculous icons, holy relics of God's saints, particles of the Lord's Cross, the Belt of the Mother of God, the Gifts of the Magi ... Do not count the shrines of the blessed Vertograd of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Thousands and thousands of pages are not enough to tell about all its secrets.

Time flies fast. You will not have time to go to the Athos coast - and here it is again behind the snow-white and swift, like a seagull, boat, taking you into the world, to your usual affairs and worries ...

Which of the travelers, parting for a long time with some corner of the planet that he loved, did not experience a nagging feeling of loss? People throw coins into the water, childishly believing that the sign will come true and they will return here again. They take new and new photographs, trying at least with their help to keep fleeting moments of happiness. And it keeps slipping away somewhere... And the albums overflowing with photographs only increase the longing for the irrevocably gone past.

Other - on the Holy Mountain. It is very easy to leave her. This is all the more surprising since it seems that your soul can no longer find another place on earth that is so beautiful and attractive. You are filled with Athos. And you can take it with you, to whatever remote point on the globe you have to return. It's almost a physical sensation. And, probably, one more miracle - a living testimony of the heart about the Eternally Living God.

Deacon Dimitry Valyuzhenich

Dionysius Monastery stands at an altitude of 80 meters above sea level. Its origin falls on the second half of the 14th century and is associated with the name of St. Dionysius. Photo: Alexandre Van de Sande

Mount Athos is both a geographical point and a religious state like the Vatican. This is the extreme, eastern "finger" of the three-toed Halkidiki peninsula in Greece, washed by the emerald waters of the Aegean Sea, approximately 80 km long and about 12 km wide. The peninsula is mountainous, covered with dense forests. In pagan antiquity, Mount Athos was known as Apolloniada (according to the temple of Apollo), later on the top of the mountain there was a temple of Zeus, which in Greek was called Aphos.

Church tradition tells that the Mother of God, having received the grace of the Holy Spirit in fiery tongues, was preparing to go to the Iberian land by lot, but received news from an angel that the work of apostleship would appear to her on another land. The ship, on which the Mother of God with the apostles was heading to the island of Cyprus to Bishop Lazarus, fell into a storm and landed on Mount Athos. The pagan people accepted it, and, listening to the sermons, seeing many miracles, they believed and were baptized. Before setting sail for Cyprus, the Mother of God blessed the people and promised her intercession to the inhabitants of Athos. So this island entered the era of Christian history.

Currently, there are 20 monasteries on Mount Athos: the Great Lavra of St. Athanasius, Vatopedi, Iberian, Hilandar (Serbian), Dionisiev, Kutlumish, Pantokrator, Xiropotamus, Zograf (Bulgarian), Dohiar, Caracalu, Filofeu, Simono Peter, St. Paul, Stavronikitsky, Xenophontov, Grigoriev, Esfigmenov, St. Panteleimon (Russian) and Kastamonita. According to the Statutory Charter of the Holy Mountain, the foundation of the twenty-first monastery is prohibited.

It is extremely difficult to obtain permission to visit Mount Athos, but in principle it is possible. To do this, you must have not only a Greek visa, but also the permission of the Governor of the Holy Mountain, who is in the rank of prefect at the Greek Foreign Ministry. There are a couple of travel companies in Thessaloniki that specialize in such tours.

The Russian monastery, unlike many others, requires a fee for the stay of a pilgrim on its territory. There is probably a reason: “our” monastery is the largest and most beautiful on the peninsula. Green domes over white walls delight tourists, who can only observe Athos from pleasure boats at a distance of at least 500 meters. The coastal zone is constantly patrolled by boats, so no one will be able to jump off the ship and illegally visit the Holy Mountain.

It is curious that in the Russian monastery, in fact, there have been no monks of Russian ethnicity for a long time, they are all mostly Ukrainians. Again, according to the Charter, the access of "fresh blood" is incredibly difficult, so the monasteries are slowly dying out.

About 1,300 monks live on Athos, 35 of them live in a Russian monastery. They provide themselves with the most necessary, they earn money in workshops. It is here that icons of amazing beauty are painted using ancient techniques. To the inexperienced eye, it is impossible to distinguish a copy from an ancient original. In this case, a special certificate with a seal is glued on the back side. Icons are often made in a silver or gold setting.

Specialized shops with church utensils in Greece - in almost every quarter. On the eve of major church holidays (Christmas, Easter), sales are arranged there. The cost is small, with a palm, icons on a wooden board - 5-6 euros. A landscape-sized icon in a luxurious silver (925) setting can usually be bought for 120-150 euros, and during the sale for only 20-30 euros.

Athos seeks to separate from the rest of the globe. But the world is still interested in the Holy Mountain and is trying to learn more about it, including through shooting from space. Photo: NASA

But the monks of Athos do not live by icon painting alone. Their "state" owns solid property, large land plots in the most prestigious places in Hellas. Athos monks deal with real estate, investment and banking firms. Among the latest major deals announced by them is the sale of one of their islands in the Aegean Sea for 3.5 million euros.

Despite solid capitals, Athos monks strictly observe fasts. They never eat meat, fish and wine are only on holidays, the rest of the time - vegetables, bread, olive oil, water.

Monasteries in all countries are special institutions. However, the development of tourism and "exceptions to the rules" allow different people, including women, to visit them. Only sacred Athos is closed for women. Emperor Basil the Macedonian, by his decree of 883, established a ban on “impassability” on the territory of Athos for women of any age and condition (married and unmarried, nuns, relatives of monks), as well as beardless, eunuchs, minors and, oddly enough, shepherds with flocks ( it is forbidden even to keep female animals - goats, sheep, chickens). Meanwhile, as you remember, Athos is patronized by a woman - the Mother of God!

How was the gender of Athos visitors checked? It turns out that in the old days only bearded people were allowed in, and they looked to see if the beard was real (they simply pulled the hair). Now Athos is also visited by clean-shaven guests, it is enough for them to show their passport.

There is a lot of documentary evidence that people who once visited Mount Athos gain faith and completely renounce their past life. For example, in 1974, the attaché of the Soviet embassy in Athens, Igor Ekonomtsev, went to Mount Athos in the spring, walked along its paths that lead to the capital of the Holy Mountain - Kareya, got acquainted with the monastic way of life. Later, Igor Nikolaevich became the rector of the Orthodox University in Moscow, now he is Hieromonk John.

In 1969, the Russian monastery was preparing to celebrate its 800th anniversary. On the eve of the holiday, at night, when a storm broke out at sea and a strong wind was blowing, someone set fire to our monastery. Magnificent halls, galleries, many priceless books and icons burned down. And four months later, one of the civilian workers, a retired policeman, fell ill with a terrible type of cancer. When he was taken to the hospital, he shouted: “This is my punishment for what I did!”.

This is how the Holy Mountain appears before a significant part of the tourists. Not everyone is given the opportunity to get off the ship and continue their acquaintance with Athos. Photo: Orthodoxe Fraternitaet in Deutschland

“Once in the summer, in hot weather, a forest caught fire near the monastery,” Pavel Ivanovich Selivanov told me. - The fire went like a wall, the situation was almost hopeless (there was nowhere for fire engines to come from). The archbishop with the monks began a religious procession around the monastery. And suddenly a cloud hung in the blue sky right above the burning forest, the rain from it completely flooded the fire ...

Pavel Ivanovich is the son of a white emigre who fled to Greece in 1920, he was born far from his father's homeland, but he speaks excellent Russian, is in love with Russia and does everything to preserve a piece of Russian culture there, abroad. A secular man, for many years he has been helping the Russian Orthodox Church to maintain contact with the monastery of St. Panteleimon. He presented me with a print of a previously unpublished engraving by the traveler Barsky "The Russian Monastery on Athos. 1744".

For me, a woman, the way to Athos is ordered. She looked at him from afar, from the deck of the ship. And, as all 400 tourists from different countries gasped when a huge silvery cloud circle appeared in the clear blue sky over the highest point of Athos (2033 meters) ...