Russian Monks on Mount Athos: The Thousand Year History of St Panteleimon's

The Holy Mountain of Athos is a self-governing monastic republic on a peninsula in Northern Greece. Standing on the shores of the Aegean Sea is one of the twenty ruling monasteries that comprise the republic, that of St Panteleimon -- the only one of the twenty to carry a distinct Russian character. This book is the first comprehensive account in the English language of the thousand-year Russian presence on Athos, from Zylourgou to the Russian House to today's St Panteleimon's, including its 19th c. apogee and post-Soviet revival. Amongst the themes explored in the book are ethnic relations, the Pan-Orthodox ideal, the role of money and political pressure, sanctity and heroism in adversity, and the importance of historical memory and precedent. This text will be invaluable to both academic historians and the educated lay reader. It is complimented by a timeline, glossary, comprehensive bibliography, index, full colour illustrations and photographs.