A friend of mine recently visited the monastic republic of Mount Athos, and very kindly agreed to share some of his pictures of the visit with us on NLM, for which we are very grateful. There are enough pictures that they will be spread out over several posts. We begin with the area where pilgrims arrive by ferry, and are welcomed, followed by the monastery of Simonos Petra (Simon’s Rock), founded in the 13th century on a large rocky outcrop by St Simon the Athonite, who lived in a nearby cave. The monastery as we see it today results from a rebuilding in the 19th century, after the complex was destroyed by a terrible fire. Simonos Petra ranks 13th in seniority amongst the twenty main monasteries on Athos, and is noted for its expertise in Byzantine chant. We are particularly lucky to get to see the interiors of some of the churches in this fashion, and of course, the views of the peninsula itself are just magnificent.
