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Footpaths of Mount Athos

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Mount Athoshas an extensive network offootpaths,many of which date back to theByzantine period.These paths are typically trails designed for human foot traffic and mules, and are not wide enough for motor vehicles. They connect the variousmonasteries,sketes,cells,kathismas,andhermitageson the peninsula to each other.[1][2]

History

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Many of the footpaths of Mount Athos date back to the Byzantine period. Some are cobblestone paths (kalderimi), while most are dirt trails (monopatia).

Starting in the 1960s, many of the footpaths began to fall into disrepair. However, in the 21st century, theFriends of Mount Athosand other volunteers have been restoring and maintaining the footpaths for pilgrims and monks to use.[3]Today, most of the footpaths are signed, well maintained, and in good condition. The Friends of Mount Athos footpath group also maps outGPX filesfor the footpaths and monitors their conditions.[1][4]

Eastern coast

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Map of Mount Athos

From north to south in order, the footpath network on the eastern coast of the Athonite peninsula takes pilgrims through the following sites.[1]

Western coast

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From north to south in order, the footpath network on the western coast of the Athonite peninsula takes pilgrims through the following sites. The western coast is steeper and more rugged than the eastern coast.[1]

Southern coast

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The rugged southern coast, which forms the southern slope of the main summit of Mount Athos, is also known as theDesert of Mount Athos,a reference to theScetis Desertwhere Christian monasticism had originated.Hesychasthermits have traditionally lived in this area.

From east to west in order, the footpath network takes pilgrims through:[1]

Way of the Bey

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The Way of the Bey (Greek:Μονοπάτι της ΚορυφογραμμήςorΔρόμος του Μπέη) primarily runs along the Athos peninsular ridge. It starts fromEsphigmenou Monastery,reaches its highest point at the peak ofAntiathonas(1042 m), and ends atDionysiou Monastery.[6]

See also

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Bibliography

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  • Howorth, Peter (2022).Mount Athos: The Holy Mountain.Filathonites.ISBN978-0-473-41386-6.(a detailed multilingual map of Mount Athos in English, Greek, and Russian; also contains notes in German, French, Italian, Serbian, Bulgarian, and Romanian)
  • Thomas, Chris and Howorth, Peter (2022).Encounters on the Holy Mountain.ISBN978-2-503-58911-4.(stories from Mount Athos)

References

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  1. ^abcde"Footpaths of the Holy Mountain – FOMA".FOMA.2019-01-06.Retrieved2022-06-16.
  2. ^"Mount Athos Footpaths".Monastiriaka.Retrieved2022-06-20.
  3. ^Speake, Graham;Ware, Kallistos(2012).Mount Athos: Microcosm of the Christian East.Oxford: Lang, Peter, AG, Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften.ISBN978-3-0353-0233-2.OCLC823378976.
  4. ^Footpaths of the Holy Mountain: Table of footpaths with conditions, walking times & links to descriptions and GPS tracks(Version 5.0).Friends of Mount Athos,September 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  5. ^Lilios, Loukas K. (2017).Mount Athos: Pilgrimage to "The Garden of Virgin Mary".Translated by Konstantina, Vlachoutsakou. Livadia: Lilios Publishers.ISBN978-618-81848-6-2.
  6. ^Howorth, Peter; Thomas, Christopher; Baetens, R.; Charles, Prince of Wales (2020).Encounters on the Holy Mountain: stories from Mount Athos.Turnhout, Belgium.ISBN978-2-503-58911-4.OCLC1196244710.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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