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2 FRIENDS OF MOUNT ATHOS President The Hon. Sir Steven Runciman, C.H., F.B.A. Patrons Mr Costa Carras The Revd. Professor Henry Chadwick, K.B.E., F.B.A. Sir John Lawrence, Bt., O.B.E. Mr James Lees-Milne Mr Patrick Leigh Fermor, D.S.O., O.B.E Professor Donald M. Nicol, F.B.A. Sir Dimitri Obolensky, F.B.A. Dr Philip Sherrard Executive Committee FOREWORD It is a pleasure to introduce the first Annual Report of the Friends of Mount Athos. This is not a society that aims at producing sensational results. Our role is described by our name. We know that the monasteries of the Holy Mountain form an autonomous religious republic whose members are proud to be living under the shadow of eternity, outside the modem materialistic world. But they cannot entirely separate themselves from the world; and we believe that they are grateful to have friends who are in it, and who will gladly give them such support and advice as they may need. We cannot offer direct financial aid, but I hope that we can, if asked, help with technical equipment and advice. We have no intention of meddling in politics, unless the integrity of the Holy Mountain is threatened. It is essentially as friends that we hope to operate, both as a society and individually; and I hope that we shall be joined by everyone who has a respect, a sympathy, and an admiration for that most beautiful of peninsulas and its holy way of life. This report shows, I think, that we have made a good start. STEVEN RUNCIMAN President The Rt. Revd. Dr Kallistos Ware, Bishop of Diokleia (Chairman) Dr Derek Hill Dr Graham Speake (Hon. Secretary) All correspondence should be addressed to the Hon. Secretary, Dr Graham Speake, Ironstone Farmhouse, Milton, Banbury OX15 4HH, from whom details of membership may be obtained. This report is private and not for publication. The contributions remain the copyright of the authors and may not be reproduced without their permission. 2 3

3 THE SOCIETY'S YEAR -.. ;:" " :..' :...,;:.., ':": The list of patrons, the draft constitution, the membership application fonn, and the subscription fee were all approved at a meeting of the Executive Committee on 23 November It could therefore be argued that the society fonnally came into existence on that date. Infonnally however it sprang from an exchange of letters between Derek Hill and myself that appeared in the correspondence columns of The Times in March It was entirely due to Derek's inspired energy that the gap between those dates was so short The first public mention of the existence of the Friends occurred at the foot of an article I wrote for the Church Times (30 November 1990) about the recent visit of the late Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I to the Holy Mountain which had coincided with my own visit in September The same newspaper kindly printed a notice about the society in February This caused a flurry of activity resulting in a good many new members from places as far apart as Bangkok and Virginia. Another opportunity arose when Country Life printed a review of a new book on Byzantine and Medieval Greece. The reviewer expressed surprise that 'Mount Athos and its monasteries... are rather skimped, presumably because the exclusion of women discourages tourism'. I wrote to say that I thought the reader of a book with such a title was entitled to expect more about Athos, but that if the book was intended for tourists, then the author was quite right to skimp il This brought a further round of inquiries, including one letter from a gentleman who wanted to know if there are many walnut trees growing on Athos. I was deeply touched by his letter, part of which I quote: The reason for my question is that I was sailing down the coast of Mount Athos when I heard the news of the murder of my brother-in-law, Airey Neave, wilhin the precincts of the House of Commons. Mount Athos was looking very beautiful from the sea and there were many trees just coming into leaf which had a pinkish tinge. I assumed that they were walnuts. When I got home, I planted a grove of trees in memory of Airey and I included in the planting a number of walnuts. Not all the walnut trees have prospered and, before replanting, I would like to be certain that I was in fact looking at walnuts. Waiting/or the boat on Mount AtMs, by Derek Hill 4 I was glad to be able to reassure him that walnuts do indeed grow on Athos, that the monks themselves are nut eaters, and that Bishop Kallistos could remember having eaten walnuts when visiting a monastery a few years ago. But my reason for quoting the letter is not just that I was moved by it, but that 5

4 it struck me as a delightful illustration of the need for the existence of the Friends. Accurate information about Athos is hard 10 come by: the Friends aim 10 provide it. The letter also reminds me of the importance of trees to both the beauty and the economy of Athos. Most members will recall the devastating raes that destroyed as many as a third of the mountain's trees in August Not only had Greece endured a succession of particularly hot summers and dry springs, but the dangers were increased by the presence of strong winds. So when rae did break out, it raged furiously for two weeks before it was brought under control. Mercifully there was no loss of life and no buildings were seriously damaged; but the hillsides looked naked and bereft when I saw them a month later, and at Xeropotamou and Simonopetra. which both had a narrow escape, the monks could talk of little else. There is a society like ours in Gennany and I believe they were instrumental in sending aeroplanes or helicopters 10 douse the flames. Our society was not yet founded; but should such an emergency arise again (which God forbid), I like to think that we should be ready to make whatever contribution we thought appropriate. Another member, a neurological surgeon by profession, wrote 10 tell me of his close association with the Romanian skete Prodromou, which is a dependency of the Great Lavra: of wanting 10 interfere in the affairs of the monks. Bishop Kailistos will visit the Mountain in the spring of 1992 and will make known the objects of the society. But even then we shall most likely continue to maintain a relatively low profile. We shall place notices in a number of dedicated joumals; but apart from that we believe that the best way to publicize the existence of the Friends is by word of mouth. We are therefore enclosing a membership application fonn with this report which we would ask you to pass on to anyone you know who might be interested in joining. We are also sending the report not only to members but to all who have shown an interest in the activities of the Friends during the past year. Because we are few and scattered, it has not yet been possible to arrange a programme of meetings. But enclosed with this report you will find a notice of our first Annual General Meeting which will be held in Oxford on Wednesday 29 April We hope that as many as possible will make an effort to attend and that it will provide an opportunity for a full discussion of possible future activities. Bishop Kailistos has kindly offered to speak about the visit to the Holy Mountain that he will have recently accomplished. Meanwhile I should like to take this opportunity of wishing you all a joyful, blessed, and peaceful New Year. GRAHAM SPEAKE Hon. Secretary In my three periods on the mountain I felt that the Romanian skete Prodromou was the only really poor community that I visited. The buildings are now in very good condition. All the work has been done by the monks who purchase wooden beams, etc. when they can obtain the money. People in Romania have been unable to send them funds or other supplies for many years.. I have sent money, seeds for the garden (both vegetable and flower), medical supplies for several individual monks as well as the community as a whole. On reading this I thought, if one man can do so much to help a community in need, how much more can a whole society of Friends achieve. If members become aware of particular needs in particular communities, we very much hope that they will draw them to our attention so that we may respond 10 them. For that is the other principal raison d'etre of the Friends. It is not to be wondered at that there are not yet many of us: at the last count we were about 40. But apart from the obvious fact that Athos is not to everyone's taste, there are sound reasons for this. Like the Mountain itself, we are wary of publicity. We are particularly anxious not to given the impression 6 7

5 THE APPOINTMENT OF THE NEW PATRIARCH The Holy Mounlain, while constituting a self-governing monastic republic with full internal independence, comes at the same time under the spiritual care of the Ecumenical Patriarch. There is thus one event in the past autumn that has affected Athos in a particularly direct way: the death of Patriarch Dimitrios of Constantinople on 2 October 1991, and the election of his successor Patriarch Bartholomew on 22 October. Palriarch Dimilrios, who died at the age of seventy-seven after a heart attack, had occupied the Ecumenical Throne since During the last three decades relations between Athos and Constantinople have often been tense. Deep concern has been expressed by the monks that the Patriarchate, in its efforts to promote Christian unity, is in danger of compromising the Orthodox faith. The Palriarchate has replied that its willingness to enter into dialogue with the non-orthodox world in no way constitutes a betrayal of Orthodoxy. The late Patriarch Dimitrios - by temperament a quiet man, somewhat reserved, cautious, and gentle - succeeded over the years in gaining the trust and love of most Athonite leaders, who respected him for his integrity, stillness, and inner prayer. There is every prospect that his successor will win the same trust and love. Palriarch Bartholomew worked closely with the late patriarch, serving from 1973 to 1990 as the head of his private secretarial He is relatively young, being only fifty-one, and so may well remain the 'flcst among equals' within the worldwide Orthodox communion for many years to come. One gratifying fealure in the recent palriarchal election is that it seems to have taken place freely, without any pressure from the Turkish government. At the previous election in 1972 there was extensive interference from the Turkish authorities, who disqualified all the leading candidates such as Metropolitan Meliton of Chalcedon. On this occasion, however, nothing of the kind happened. On 9 October, the day following the funeral of Patriarch Dimitrios, the Holy Synod submitted to the civil authorities a list of fifteen names, comprising all the bishops eligible for election (only a Turkish citizen is allowed to be a candidate for the Ecumenical Throne). The government delayed its response until after the Turkish elections, which took place on 20 October. The list was then returned unaltered, without any deletions, and the Synod proceeded immediately to the election. The Dean of the Holy Synod, Metropolitan Bartholomew of Chalcedon, was chosen unanimously and was 8 \I J, " \ J duly enthroned on 2 November. All of this reflects the continuing delenle in relations between Ankara and the Phanar, and forms a hopeful augury for the fulure work of the new patriarch. Eis polla eli! BISHOP KALLISTOS OF DIOKLEIA Chairman AN ANGLICAN ON MOUNT ATHOS From 18 to 22 September this year, together with a lay friend, I made a pilgrimage to the Holy Mounlain, armed with letters of introduction from the monastery at Tolleshunt Knights as well as from Bishop Kallistos. Both proved invaluable. A first-time visitor has difficulty planning his itinerary, especially since a non Orthodox is allowed only four days' stay. On arrival by boat at Daphni he must travel by the old, but specially adapted, bus over the hills to the headquaners at Karyes to oblain his permit (diamonelerion) from the Holy Community before seeking a monastery for the night. In the heat of a late summer's afternoon this must mean a monastery within easy reach. In my case, since Iveron was already entertaining a Greek bishop and his clergy, this had to be Stavronikita. But the next morning we walked back along the cliff path to Iveron, arriving in time for lunch at a.m. by Western time. At Iveron I was able to venerate the icon of the Portaitissa and to take part in a special service connected with this famous image. I was also pleased to have a discussion with the Greek-Ausb'alian guest master, Father Jeremias, who proved an invaluable contact linguistically,as well as providing a welcome cup of tea. We were offered transport back to Karyes, where we arranged quite easily for an extension of our permits by one day (which we did not in fact use) and took the opportunity to visit the church of the Protaton and see the Axion ESlin icon. We also made use of the 'hotel', for the second time, in case mealtimes proved elusive, and were in time for the bus to Daphni. This connected with the small boat that travels down the west coast and took us as fas as Simonopetra. I was then faced with a very steep climb in the heat of the day in my cassock, only 9

6 completed with the help of some Greeks who just happened to be around (in accordance with the tradition that nothing on Athos happens by chance) and who carried my rucksack. The latter is a must for any visitor. It tested my ingenuity to pack it with just the right things for my stay, which included a day or two in Thessaloniki and Ouranopolis. The most useful things proved to be a torch, a water bottle (although the water is good and plentiful), and a few biscuits and raisins. There was no need for an alarm clock! My arrival at the monastery was greeted with much interest because of a strong association with Tolleshunt Knights, particularly on the part of the abbot, Father Aimilianos, a man of great and striking personality. There were also several Englishspeaking monks with Western connections. Hospitality at Simonopetra was frrst-c1ass both spiritually and materially. The six-hour vigil service at Simonopetra for the Nativity of the Theotokos was unforgettable, and I was given a good posi tion in the church - something that is not always allotted to a non-orthodox. The swinging of the two chandeliers, in concentric circles at the lamp-lighting, and the enthusiastic singing were out of this world. The monastery itself seems to represent a high point of the revival on Mount Athos, centred particularly on the abbot and his close-knit group of monks. It has also been refurbished and even boasts electricity and modern conveniences of all kinds. In those three monasteries I had in fact followed in a sense the route of this revival, associated with a return to the cenobitic tradition. At all three, although I had no time to do a count, I was struck by how many monks there now are. Before leaving Simonopetra I had the opportunity of discussion through an interpreter (a monk of Greek American origin) with one of the administrators of the monastery, and I was given several mementos. We discussed the nature of monasticism and its relations with the world, and there was a genuine interest in my own background. We were then given a ride back to Daphni by Jeep: those vehicles are now becoming a regular feature of the Mountain. The effects oflast year's fire, which had threatened to engulf the monastery, were evident for some distance around. ascent of several flights of stairs, illustrated the hidden and unassuming life of the simple saint from old Russia. It was pleasing to note that the Russian monastery too, although not as populated as in its heyday, is enjoying a revival, with very young as well as old monks. I reckoned over a hundred in the refectory. But problems of language prevented much communication. The guest house occupies part of a still partially ruined building near the sea. One's reception as an Anglican priest varied from monastery to monastery and depended to some extent on meeting monks who could converse in English and who had some understanding of one's ecclesiastical background. It seemed also a matter of chance whether one's arrival, in relation to both the calendar (whether it was a feast day or a fast, for instance) and the height of the sun, coincided with mealtimes, particularly lunch, which was usually served at breakfast time if following a vigil. To a Western visitor such things appear haphazard at fust Those four days sufficed for a fust visit, especially with the difficulties of daily travel and the unpredictability of one's reception. But one left with a great thirst for more, even while feeling unable to take in any more at the time. It was like drinking at an inexhaustible spring, and there was need for space to absorb what one had already received. One is, however, left with a burning desire to go back. MARK GLASS WELL Little Sampford. Essex Although we had been granted one extra night, we decided to end our visit at the Russian monastery of Saint Panteleimon. We would then be in easy reach of the boat for our journey to Ouranopolis. There seemed no obvious way of spending the extra night, especially after what was for me the summit of my pilgrimage - the veneration of the relics of Saint Silouan. This was achieved after long negotiation. The manner in which his relics are so unobtrusively preserved in an attic church, reached dramatically and unexpectedly after the 10 11

7 IMPRESSIONS FROM A VISIT TO THE HOLY MOUNTAIN, SEYfEMBER 1991 My visit took me fllstto the Monastery of the Annunciation at Ormylia, which is easy to reach by bus from Thessaloniki and lies little more than an hour's drive, though by a rather arduous road, from the Holy Mountain. This community of about a hundred nuns is a Heaven-sent answer to the problem of how families, and in particular women, may taste the Holy Mountain's atmosphere of prayer. Its abbess, Mother Nikodhimi, is the spiritual sister of Father Aimilianos, one of the Mountain's leading figures, who revived the faltering Simonopetra monastery in Father Aimilianos himself often stays at Ormylia and helps to oversee its affairs. Especially in the summer his spiritual children gather from allover the world, many of them couples with children. In July the monastery, an immense complex that grows every year and reminds one of Vatopedhi on Athos, fills to overflowing for a succession of 'family' festivals, of Saints Aimilianos and Nikodhimos, for example, of the Meteoran saints (for Father Aimilianos's original community was at Meteora, and its members came mainly from Thessaly), and ofsaint Mary Magdalene, whose miracle-working left hand is preserved at Simonopetra. In this way the Athonite tradition is conveyed in living and dynamic form far beyond the Holy Mountain's frontiers. At fllstsight the Holy Mountain itselfseems a place apart in time as well as space. The use of the Julian calendar and the Byzantine clock certainly symbolizes a deliberate discontinuity with the monks' immediate environment- Greece and the other Balkan countries - whose peoples, if they have time to think beyond present troubles, dream only of becoming 'Europeans' and sharing in the urban prosperity that many have already glimpsed as guest-workers in Germany. The church-centred rhythms of traditional village life, which were not so unlike those of a monastery, belong to a largely unregrelled past. Yet the recent election of a new patriarch of Constantinople has drawn the attention of a broad public to the role that Orthodoxy might play in the reborn world of Eastern Europe. Since the Patriarchate has no political or economic power, this role can only be founded on the personal example of a spiritual teacher who lives the Orthodox tradition in allits integrity. And that tradition is best preserved today on the Holy Mountain. It would be a mistake to imagine that any of the Mountain'S 2000 or so inhabitants think of themselves as cut off from the world. The year-round stream of pilgrims makes Athos' s physical isolation an appearance only. By bus and car, and then by boats which have grown larger over the years, visitors reach the 12 Mountain relatively quickly and easily. The more accessible monasteries those nearest the port of Daphni and the capital Karyes where permits are issued - are all now forced to restrict their hospitality; and even the abrupt path from Karyes down to the hermitage of Father PaYsios, the great spiritual father (yerontas) a brief talk with whom is sufficient reason for many to visit Athos, is marked by signs begging visitors please not to disturb the other hermits. And the yerontas, whether abbot or hermit, never forgets his obligations to spiritual children 'in the world', from nuns in nearby monasteries living strictly according to the Athonite rhythm, to individuals far away in the cities of North America. The large Orthodox communities of the New World are indeed as much in the thoughts of Athos 's leaders as are the fresh horizons opening up in Europe. The Greek Church in North America is particularly secular and ethnocentric, its services correct but frequently lacking in warmth, its hierarchy often unsympathetic to monasticism, its flock no longer as aware of the saints as the saints are of them. The idea that so many of the world's Orthodox have never known the intimacy and tenderness of their religion in the lands where it came to maturity is a source of great sadness to the Athonites, some of whom are eager to help and have given the problem much thought. The more clear-sighted have understood that the best hope lies with those born and bred in America and familiar with its problems, but who have also lived in a real Orthodox environment. The revival of Athos in the last twenty-five years has seen the arrival there of many monks from Western Europe and America, either converts or born Orthodox. As living links between Orthodoxy's heart and its diaspora, these men have extraordinary responsibilities. Athos is a lamp to the world. But if its wick is not kept well trimmed, it will in time burn less brightly. In this context the monastic republic's external relations, internal politics, and ecology all deserve the visitor's attention and sympathy. The problems are numerous. In the f1l'st place Athos is Orthodox, therefore international, but it happens to be part of the Greek state and to be inhabited mostly by Greeks. Russians, Bulgarians, Romanians, and Serbs have all been through hard times in recent decades. Nevertheless their communities on Athos have survived; and greater freedom at home now makes it easier for monastic vocations to be followed, and may be expected eventually to generate a flow of pilgrims too. Athens follows these developments with what may charitably be called a wary eye. It is rare to find a Greek who consciously distinguishes between Orthodox y and Hellenism. 13

8 Not that relations between Athos and Athens are always perfect. The monasteries' estates outside Athos have long since been confiscated; Athos itself, and in particular its forests, must therefore be exploited; and increasingly frequent forest fires are therefore an issue of great sensitivity. The fifteen-day fare of August 1990 destroyed the whole area between Philotheou, Grigoriou, Simonopetra, and Daphni, and occasioned some recriminations between Athens accused of incompetence and monks accused of obstruction. A monk who has lived on Athos since 1923 told me how until recently no flce burned for more than two or three days, and that monks put them out on their own by setting 'counter-fires'. This technique we have lost, and we have substituted technology - expensive and hard-to-come-by fire-fighting aeroplanes that cannot fly in precisely the high winds that fan the blaze. The Mediterranean's fragile ecology was preserved over the millennia by peasants who understood it. Today most people, including of course those who eventually go 10 Athos as monks, grow up in cities and have no need or, often enough, no wish to understand nature on its own terms. The exploitation of the remaining forests required, especially from the 1970s onwards, the construction of dirt roads and the use of lorries. But the habit of automated transport has now spread beyond those who work in the forests. The walker is pitied; and the Great Lavra, which long ago made a dirt access road winding high along the Mountain's northern side, is now completing a more direct second route, an open wound across the vulnerable pine forests by the shore, and much more aesthetically damaging than the higher road shaded and hidden by chestnut forests. The same monastery is now said to be contemplating a road into the 'Desert', the remote tip of the peninsula inhabited only by tiny communities of hermits. As one of these remarked to me, 'when monasteries get a road, they buy two Jeeps; but here every hermit will get one, and we'll soon be just like Athens.' The life of prayer does not of course have to be lived in the wilderness. But Athos does focus prayer and bring peace, even if only for a few days, to those who visit it. As for those who live there, their uncomplicated life-style and lack of distractions relieve them of certain cares and temptations intrinsic to life 'in the world', and allow them to concentrate on the more difficult warfare of the spirit. If the Athonites lose, or rather destroy, the environment in which that is possible, we shall all be poorer. Until the 1970s some monasteries were cenobitic, tightly organized communities run by an all-powerful abbot, and others were idiorrhythmic, which meant that their members met for prayer in the church but ate separately in their rooms and ran their affairs through a council rather than submitting them to an abbot. The idiorrhythmic system encouraged laxity and has now been abandoned - the last such house, Pantokrator, appeared to be changing over while I was on Athos. This striking trend towards the cenobitic system has been associated with the arrival of new groups of young and enthusiastic monks such as that led by Father Aimilianos. Some of the great spiritual leaders of the Holy Mountain today are abbots of monasteries. But even the laxest monasteries may shelter saints, while many if not most of the great teachers of the more recent past lived in hermitages or sketes, village-like clusters of houses, each inhabited by a yerontas and his followers. The possibilities offered by these less regimented life-styles remain, despite the great emphasis now being placed on the cenobitic ideal. We should not measure the rebirth of Athos solely in terms of problematic monasteries being recolonized and revived. The best of the new generation of Athonites stid go to the Desert to learn humility - or at least the Desert comes to them. There is nothing more moving on the Holy Mountain than the warmth with which Father Aimilianos and Mother Nikodhimi and the monks and nuns in their care speak of the visits they occasionally receive from the remarkable old hermit Papa-Ephraim of Katounakia, whose complete humility and transparence to God provided the most vivid memory I carried away from my last visit. In this relationship the Holy Mountain's past and future are united in the immediacy of the present; and only by living fully in the present and ignoring past bonds and future cares can we give ourselves to prayer and allow God to act in our lives. GARTH FOWDEN Athens But perhaps the most sensitive of all these areas of change is the internal organization of Athos itself, and especially of its twenth ruling monasteries