Athos
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Related to Athos: Mount Athos, ATOS
Athos
(ăth`ŏs, ā`thŏs),Aktí
(äk`tē), orAkte
(–tā), easternmost of the three peninsulas of KhalkidhikíKhalkidhikíor Chalcidice
, peninsula (1991 pop. 92,117), NE Greece, projecting into the Aegean Sea from SE Macedonia. Its southern extremity terminates in three peninsulas: Kassandra (anc. Gr.
..... Click the link for more information. , c.130 sq mi (340 sq km), NE Greece, in Macedonia. The narrow, northern base of the peninsula was once cut by canal dug by the Persians during Xerxes' invasion of Greece (see Persian WarsPersian Wars,
500 B.C.–449 B.C., series of conflicts fought between Greek states and the Persian Empire. The writings of Herodotus, who was born c.484 B.C., are the great source of knowledge of the history of the wars.
..... Click the link for more information. ). At the southern tip of the peninsula is the theocratic community of the monks of Mount Athos, also called Hagion Oros or Ayion Oros [Gr.,=Holy Mt.], which rises to c.6,670 ft (2,030 m). Mount Athos is a community of about 20 monasteries of the Order of St. Basil of the Orthodox Eastern Church and includes c.30 sq mi (80 sq km) of territory. The first monastery was founded c.963. The community of monks (see monasticismmonasticism
, form of religious life, usually conducted in a community under a common rule. Monastic life is bound by ascetical practices expressed typically in the vows of celibacy, poverty, and obedience, called the evangelical counsels.
..... Click the link for more information. ) enjoyed administrative independence under the Byzantine and Ottoman empires and under the modern Greek government. In 1927 it was made an autonomous monastic state under Greek suzerainty, ruled by the patriarch of Constantinople. Karyai, the chief town of Athos, is the seat of the Holy Community, a committee made up of one representative from each monastery, which governs the monks of Mount Athos. Women and most female animals are not allowed in the religious community. The icons from Mount Athos are celebrated; the libraries contain a great wealth of Byzantine manuscripts.
Athos
Mount. a mountain in NE Greece, in Macedonia Central region: site of the Monastic Republic of Mount Athos, autonomous since 1927 and inhabited by Greek Orthodox Basilian monks in 20 monasteries founded in the 10th century. Pop.: 1942 (2001)