Monk's Republic

The monk's republic Athos is an autonomous (selfadministered), but not unperturbed (independent) state. Protection power for the Theocratic Republic Athos is the state of Greece since 1923. He takes over border protection as well as police functions for the holy mountain and grants to everybody in one of the monasteries incoming monk from abroad the Greek citizenship. Nevertheless, this is no option, but more or less compulsion to prevent an alienation of the monk's republic.

If one now from police & Co. reads, would be said directly that on the Athos not only monks and novices live. At least at times numerous other Greeks also live in the republic. So, for instance, the tavern landlords from Dafni and Karies, doctors (Tel.: 23770-23217), druggists, construction workers and forest workers. Also the Greek post, the phone society OTE as well as the electric supplier DEI have stationed employees on the Athos. Not to forget the governor of Greece (Tel.: 23770-23230). And by the way police: There is an own Athos police on the holy mountain (Tel. Dafni: 23770-23222, Tel. Karies: 23770-23212, Tel. harbour police Dafni: 23770-23300) which is supported by the state police as well as the customs.

The conditions of entry for the monk's republic are extremely austere. Thus exclusively men receive access. Women the access is kept in general what itself concerns feminine animals. The only feminine beings on the holy mountain are chickens, because some monks need fresh yolk for the icon painting. Sometimes from feminine birds and other wild animal females seen, which to itself on the peninsula live. Thus there is seen the Mount Athos a region in which for more than 1.000 years people live and die, but are not born.

There is not order (e.g. Benedictine or Franciscan of the catholic church) in the orthodox space. Thus all monasteries keep virtually to the basic rules of the early-christian Father of the Church Basilios of Cäsarea, but also to the traditions own in each case.

In the monk's republic one is directed by the kinovetic principle. This encloses a vow of the poverty, chastity and the obedience towards the abbot. All meals are taken after the kinovy together and fast rules are austerely kept. Till 1990 there were on the Athos also monasteries which were directed after the idiorrhythmic. With this principle the monks keep their private property, however, must provide also for themselves. Meals are taken only in high holidays together, otherwise everybody feeds itself as well as he may or can. However, in the idiorrhythmic system it also gets over and over again to extreme social differences. Thus poor monks live so to speak from the hand in the mouth, while rich cloister brothers can afford even attendants. But as said there is on the Athos only the kinovy.

The nowadays about 2.000 monks on the holy mountain live by the julianic calendar which "limps behind" to our gregorianic 13 days. In addition, the byzantine time counts. With sunrise the day hours from 0 o'clock to 12 o'clock, with sundown begin the night hours, likewise 0 o'clock till 12 o'clock. Because the sun regularly moves on and declines of , the clock time changes therefore also all 4 days.

The monks take part per day for at least 8 hours in services, in holidays up to 14 hours. Farther 8 hours spend them with work which serves above all the care of the monk's communities and the pilgrims. Agriculture, fishing, kitchen service as well as garden and cleaning work belongs to it. Farther works are above all an icon painting, wood carving, book restoration and of course calligraphy. However, candles are also drawn and materials for liturgical garments are weaved. From routine management works and occasional renovations or repairs sometimes completely seen.

The life on the Mount Athos ordinarily takes place in one of 20 monasteries to which, partially in addition, smaller skities and kellies are subordinated. Although there are hermits and ascetics also every now and then again which live only in hermitages, small huts or even caves which lie hidden somewhere in the mountain world of the Athos. There they try to live in the most austere monastic asceticism.

The allocation of duties in the monasteries is graded hierarchically. Completely on top stands the cloister chief, the abbot who is supported by a council of elders, but entirely the legends have. Besides, every monastery sends an Antiprosopos (representative) elective in each case for a year to the management capital of the Athos, to Karies. There meets three times weekly the Iera Kinotis, the holy community which shows the uppermost organ of the monk's republic. The Iera Kinotis regulates not only the living together of the monasteries together, but is also responsible for the relations with the Greek government as well as to ecumenical patriarchate in Istanbul.

If monks die, their corpses become without coffin - but only with their monk's habits dresses - buried. Besides, the graves mark simple wood crosses. After three years the mortal remains are exhumed and the death's-heads are washed out with wine. If these are after the procedure white, the souls of the deceased apply as saved. If they are not, there was probably a problem.

About its whole history away the Agion Oros could keep sometimes more, sometimes less independent status. In any case, understood and gets the holy mountain as one of the most important centers of the orthodox belief.

However, unfortunately, it could be over with the more than 1.000-year-old history of the monk's republic in not at all sometimes much too far time maybe once. Since the monasteries already complain for many years of missing monk's younger generation, even if the number of the religious brothers rises at the moment again. Thus many complexes of the monasteries have become an orphan and thereby neglect. Should the number of the monks of a monastery on decrease first of once less than 6, the state of Greece has the right to take over the affected monastery in own direction. Then this could be the first step in the direction of Athos tourism, is absolutely not only on account of the maintenance costs originating from it a possible thought.