Xenophontos Monastery

Mount Athos Attraction

The west coast of Mount Athos hosts the monastery that stands out for its two main churches dedicated to Saint George. It was built around 998AD.

A picture of Xenophontos Monastery taken from the sea showing the seafront and the dense vegetation in the background.
photo: Aroche / CC BY-SA 3.0

The Xenofontos monastery is the 16th monastery in the hierarchy of Mount Athos, while it is located on the southwest part of the peninsula.

The erection project started after the decision of the Patriarch of Constantinople Gabriel the Fourth and the foundation was made in 998 AD by the monk Xenofon. It is located just by the sea and the current shape of the buildings is a result of expansions and renovations that were completed at the end of the 18th century.

One of the special characteristics of the monastery is that it has two main churches, both dedicated to St. Georgios. The older one is the smallest in the whole peninsula and it includes paintings of saints on the walls made by the Cretan artist Antonios in 1544 AD. The building of the newer church started in 1817 by monk Theophilus and the works lasted for 20 years. In the newer church hosts the miraculous icon of Virgin Mary the Leader (Odigitria).

Today there are 60 monks who live permanently in the monastery and the guests can visit the library where there are 300 rare hand scripts and 4.000 printed books.

About Xenophontos Monastery

Last updated: 24 Jul 2020

Location
address Moni Xenophontos, Mount Athos, 603 86, Greece
nearby transportation
  • Dafni (Mount Athos) Port ≈ 8.5km
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