Mount Athos is home to 20 stavropegial Eastern Orthodox monasteries under the direct jurisdiction of the patriarch of Constantinople. Today Greeks commonly refer to Mount Athos as the \"Holy Mountain\".
The Garden of Virgin Mary
According to the tradition, Virgin Mary was sailing accompanied by St John the Evangelist from Joppa to Cyprus to visit Lazarus. When the ship was blown to Athos peninsula, it was forced to anchor close to the present monastery of Iviron. The Virgin walked ashore and overwhelmed by the wonderful and wild natural beauty of the mountain, she blessed it and asked her Son for it to be her garden. A voice was heard saying \"Let this place be your inheritance and your garden, a paradise and a haven of salvation for those seeking to be saved\". From that moment the mountain was consecrated as the garden of the Virgin Mary or Mother of God (Perivoli tis Panagias) and was out of bounds to all other women.
See Mount Athos MonasteriesMap here
Below you can see each monastery feast
- Great Lavra (Megísti Lávra): the oldest monastery in the Holy Mountain. Feast : Saint Athanasius July 5
- Vatopédi : the second oldest monastery. Feast : Annunciation of Mary 25 March
- Iviron (Ιβήρων): Feast Assumption of Mary 15 of August
- Chilandariou ( or Хиландар Hilandar in Serbian): a Serbian monastery, feast 21 of November
- Dionysiou : feast St John the Baptist birth on 24 of July
- Koutloumousiou : feast transfiguration of The Lord on 6 of August
- Pantokratoros : feast transfiguration of The Lord on 6 of August
- Xiropotamou : feast of the Holy Forty Marters on 9 of March
- Zographou ( Зограф Zograf in Bulgarian): a Bulgarian monastery, feast St George the trophy bearer on 23 of April
- Dochiariou : feast Synaxis of the Holy Archangels on 8 November
- Karakalou : feast - Peter and Paul the Holy Apostles on 29 June
- Philotheou : feast - Annunciation of Mary 25 March
- Simonos Petra : feast - Nativity of our Lord on 25 December
- Agiou Pavlou : feast - Presentation of the Lord on 2 of February
- Stavronikita : feast- St Nicholas on 6 of December
- Xenofondos : Monastery which has one of the biggest katholikon (church) in the Holy Mountain.Feast : St George the trophy bearer on 23 of April
- Osiou Grigoriou : feast - St Nicholas on 6 of December
- Agiou Panteleimonos : the Russian monastery, feast - St Panteleimon on 27 of July
- Konstamonitou : feast - St Stephan the first Martyr on 27 of December
- Esphigmenou : feast - Ascension of Christ