From Mount Athos Stories: An Unusual “Union” between Hilandar and St Panteleimon in the 16th and 17th Centuries
From Mount Athos Stories: An Unusual “Union” between Hilandar and St Panteleimon in the 16th and 17th Centuries

Summary/Abstract: In the 16th and 17th centuries St Panteleimon (Rossikon) was a very poor monastery, frequently deep in debt. That is why its administration turned to Hilandar, a much wealthier and, moreover, Slavic monastery for help. Their motive were the longstanding friendly relations between the two communities. It has long been known that in the course of those two centuries Hilandar and St Panteleimon formed some kind of association, while remaining independent. The lack of sources makes it very difficult to pin down the nature of that relationship. In 1550 the hegumen of Hilandar, Prohor, defined it as “union” without any further clarification. This paper presents and examines the information that can be gleaned from Ottoman documents. Rossikon and its monks, or some toponyms associated with Russian presence on Mount Athos, are mentioned in no more than fifteen odd Ottoman documents.

• Details
• Contents