ATHOS, the most eastern of the three peninsular promontor ies which extend, like the prongs of a, trident, southwards from the coast of Macedonia into the Aegean Sea. Before the 19th century the name Athos was usually confined to the terminal peak of the promontory, which was itself known by its ancient name, Acte. The peak rises like a pyramid, with a steep summit of white marble, to a height of 6,35oft., and can be seen at sunset from the plain of Troy on the east and the slopes of Olympus on the west. On the isthmus are distinct traces of the canal cut by Xerxes before his invasion of Greece in 480 B.C. The peninsula is remarkable for the beauty of its scenery, and derives a peculiar interest from its unique group of monastic communities with their mediaeval customs and institutions, their treasures of Byzantine art and rich collections of documents. It is about 4om. in length, with a breadth varying from 4 to 7m. ; its whole area belongs to the various monasteries.
Owing to the timely submission of the monks to the Turks after the establishment of their empire in Europe and especially after the capture of Salonika (1430), their privileges were respected by successive sultans. Under the present constitution, which dates from 1783, the general affairs of the commonwealth are entrusted to an assembly (auva4cs) of 20 members, one from each monastery; a committee of four members, chosen in turn, styled epistatae (isrloritTal), forms the executive. The president of the committee (o irpc.Tos) is also the president of the assembly, which holds its sittings in the village of Karyes, the seat of gov ernment since the loth century. The 20 monasteries, which all belong to the order of St. Basil, are: Laura (7) Aavpa), founded in 963; Vatopedi (/3aror-EBcov), said to have been founded by the emperor Theodosius ; Rossikon ('PwaaLKOv), the Russian mon astery of St. PanteleImon ; Chiliandari (X LAcavra pcov : supposed to be derived from )(iAtm av6pee or XLAca AEovrapca, founded by the Serbian prince Stephen Nemanya, i159-95) ; Iveron yovrl TWV 'I(3r)pwv), founded by Iberians, or Georgians; Es phigmenu (roe 'EaOcyµivov : the name is derived from the con fined situation of the monastery) ; Kutlumush ; Pandocratoros era TlavT0KpaTopos) ; Philotheu (FCAoOEOV) ; Cara callu (roe KapaKaAAov) ; St. Paul (rov aycov TlaiXov) ; St. Denis (Tov eyLov &covvaiov) ; St. Gregory (roe aylov Fpr)yoplov); Simo petra (Icµoirerpa) ; Xeropotamu (rov Zqpoiroraµov) ; St. Xeno phon (roe ayiov Z€vo0c)vror) ; Dochiariu (toXEcapeiou) ; Con stamonitu (Kwvaraµovirov), Zographu (rov Zo ypacov) ; and Stav ronikitu (roe IraupovLKLTov), the last built, founded in 1545. De pendent on the several monasteries are I2 sketae (aKi rac) or monastic settlements, some of considerable size, in which a still more ascetic mode of life prevails : there are, in addition, several farms (µ€roxia), and many hundred sanctuaries with adjoining habitations (KEAAIa) and hermitages The monaster ies, with the exception of Rossikon (St. PanteleImon) and the Serbo-Bulgarian Chiliandari and Zographu, are occupied ex clusively by Greek monks.
The population of the holy mountain was 4,858 in 1928; about 3,00o are monks (KaX6'yspoc), the remainder being lay brothers (Koaµceoi). The monasteries, which are all fortified, generally consist of large quadrangles enclosing churches; stand ing amid rich foliage, they present a wonderfully picturesque appearance, especially when viewed from the sea. Their in mates, when not engaged in religious services, occupy themselves with husbandry, fishing and various handicrafts; the standard of intellectual culture is not high, A large academy, founded by the monks of Vatopedi in 1749 for a time attracted students from all parts of the East, but eventually proved a failure, and is now in ruins. The muniment rooms of the monasteries contain a marvellous series of documents, including chrysobulls of van.
ous emperors and princes, sigilla of the patriarchs, typica, irades and other documents, the study of which will throw an important light on the political and ecclesiastical history and social life of the East from the middle of the loth century. Up to comparative ly recent times a collection of classical manuscripts was preserved in the libraries; many of them were destroyed during the War of Greek Independence (1821-29) by the Turks, who employed the parchments for the manufacture of cartridges; others fell a prey to the neglect or vandalism of the monks, who, it is said, used the material as bait in fishing; others have been sold to visitors, and a considerable number have been removed to Moscow and Paris.
See V. Langlois, Le Mont Athos et ses monasteres, with a complete bibliography (1867) ; Duchesne and Bayet, Memoire sur une mission en Macedoine et au Mont Athos (1876) ; Texier and Pullan, Byzantine Architecture (1864) ; A. Riley, Athos, or the Mountain of the Monks (1887) ; P. Meyer, "Beitrage zur Kenntniss der neueren Geschichte and des gegenwartigen Zustandes der Athoskloster," in Zeitschri f t f iir Kirchengeschichte (189o) ; G. Millet, J. Pargoire and L. Petit, Recueil des inscriptions chretiennes de l'Athos (1904)•