HOLY MOUNTAIN – MOUNT ATHOS

Mount Athos, or "Holy Mountain," is the Orthodox name for the Athos Peninsula in Halkidiki, Greece, which has become a unique territory in Europe. It is a monastic state that contains 20 Orthodox male monasteries. For Orthodox Christians, Mount Athos is an important pilgrimage site of spiritual meeting and one of the centers of Orthodoxy. This sacred territory is known for its strict laws barring women from staying and visiting the monasteries. The monks on Athos still preserve their ancient traditions.

The painting captures the interior of one of the temples on Athos. In the apse is a mosaic representation of the Mother of God, under which angels hover with the words PURITY and FAITH. These slogans represent the mission of the temple and the monastic order. Sunbeams penetrating into the temple from the right are complemented by the light of many candles. Priests stand before the iconostasis, presenting the relics of saints to pilgrims. In the glow of the lights, herubim, angelic beings, hover with models of the four Orthodox Athonite monasteries - the Greek Vatopedi and Zograf, Hilandar under Serbian monks’ administration, and Panteleimon under Russian monks’ administration. Behind the herubim, figures of the four igoumenies, representatives of these monasteries, can be seen. In the foreground is a young man supporting a blind elder - the boy is a self-portrait of Alfons Mucha.