Athos's blog

Of the twenty monasteries of Mt Athos today three are Slavic.
Saint Panteleimon, Russian
Hillandary, Serbian
Zografou, Bulgarian.

. At the end of the 15th century, the Russian pilgrim Isaiah relates that the monks support themselves with various kinds of work including the cultivation of their vineyards....He also tells us that nearly half the monasteries are Slav or Albanian. As Serbian he instances Docheiariou, Grigoriou, Ayiou Pavlou, a monastery near Ayiou Pavlou and dedicated to St. John the Theologian (he no doubt means the monastery of Ayiou Dionysiou), and Chilandariou. Panteleïmon is Russian, Simonopetra is Bulgarian, and Karakallou and Philotheou are Albanian. Zographou, Kastamonitou (see fig. 58), Xeropotamou, Koutloumousiou, Xenophontos, Iveron and Protaton he mentions without any designation; while Lavra, Vatopedi (see fig. 59), Pantokratoros, and Stavronikita (which had been recently founded by the patriarch Jeremiah I) he names specifically as being Greek (see map 6).
(A. E. Bakalopulos (1973). History of MaRcedonia, 1354-1833. [By] A.E. Vacalopoulos. p. 166)

The first Slavic monastery on Athos was the Monastery of Zelianos (middle of 11th century).
PAVLIKIANOV, C. (1997). The Monastery of Zelianos, the First Slavic Monastic Institution on Mount Athos. Byzantina Symmeikta, 11, 37–48. https://doi.org/10.12681/byzsym.822

Czech & Slavic Epic History: The Meaning Behind the Slav Epic, Twenty Paintings by Czech Artist Alphonse Mucha Paperback – October 26, 2021
by Gina M. Barlean

Slav Epic, Alphonse Mucha

Which act of the State prevents me from functioning and being a Christian and living correctly? Tell me which act? Apart from the dirty things that they market to us and the lies, but this does not prevent me from having a clear mind and overcoming. To understand where is the lie and the truth. What act of any state, even if it is anti-Christian, even if it persecutes Christ, it is not here now, outwardly it is not, would dare to stop the Liturgy of the Church in the hearts of the faithful? None!
Because the Church is that "gates of hell shall not prevail against it", no hell, no State, no harsh measures can stop the Church. It is impossible to do, unless we allow it due to fear, weakness and distrust. There is no such thing as "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it"
We continue our Christian life beyond any abnormal, anti-Christian decisions they make. Nothing prevents us and nothing will make the Christian surrender in times of persecution.

Here, when you enter a church, you always see a Holy Αλταρ in the center. This is how the Holy Altar of any church, you see, is structured today. If tomorrow a state authority forbids the Liturgy and says "all Christians are persecuted, no one will go to Liturgy, Liturgies are forbidden" and they send in military personnel. It is structured like this (the Church / the temple), the priest who knows how to take the Holy Table in his pocket, as I say, the Antimensio. There is a cloth called Antimensio, Latin anti mensa = against the table, which is sanctified and replaces the Holy Table.

Let me know that tomorrow morning an order was issued not to perform Liturgy, I will take the Antimensio that is made and sewn in this way, I fold it and it goes into my little pocket. And I go to the mountains and celebrate Mass with you if you have the courage.

And if they even put me in prison and say "you're mad, you won't perform Liturgy", and they also take the Antimensio, then in prison if we're imprisoned together, I'll tell you "lie down". You will lie down and I will perform Liturgy on your chest without Antimensio! Every believer is an image of God. And because it is an image of God, every believer is a Holy Table. I will put a plastic cup on your chest, some bread that I will find from the food of the prisoners and a plate of any kind and I will perform Liturgy! Nothing stops us, we are determined for everything! In the mountains or in prisons, nothing stops us!

So what authority?

How was Liturgy held during so many years of persecution? Have you ever thought of these? Father Virgil Georgiou describes these events beautifully, very beautifully, these extreme cases. Because he lived in a regime that persecuted Christians. And in fact he was the one who lived and did, in the sense that before he became a clergyman he was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Romania, he was not an accidental personality. And he knows the reality of the events when he describes them.

The Church is Communion and without Communion nothing happens! I have nothing else to say.

04-04-2013
Father Konstantinos Stratigopoulos 1946-2018

Recorded excerpt of a speech from the "Roman Pilgrimage", by the archpriest Father Konstantinos Stratigopoulos, on the topic "The First Epistle of the Apostle Paul to Timothy", delivered on 04-04-2013.
http://www.orthodoxyia-ellhnismos.gr/2020/10/blog-post_63.html

Ποιά πράξη τῆς Πολιτείας μέ ἐμποδίζει νά λειτουργηθῶ καί νά ΄μαι Χριστιανός καί νά ζῶ σωστά; Πές μου ποιά πράξη; Πέρα ἀπό τά βρώμικα πού μᾶς πλασάρουν καί τά ψέματα, ἀλλά αὐτό δέν μέ ἐμποδίζει ἐγώ νά ΄χω καθαρό μυαλό καί νά τό ξεπεράσω. Νά καταλαβαίνω ποῦ εἶναι τό ψέμμα καί ἡ ἀλήθεια. Ποιά πράξης μίας ὁποιασδήποτε πολιτείας, ἔστω καί ἀντιχριστιανικῆς, ἔστω καί διωκούσης τόν Χριστό, δέν εἶναι τώρα ἀκόμη ἔτσι, ἐξωτερικά δέν εἶναι, θά τολμοῦσε νά σταματήσει τήν Λειτουργία τῆς Ἐκκλησίας στίς καρδιές τῶν πιστῶν; Κανείς!
Ἐπειδή ἡ Ἐκκλησία εἶναι ἐκείνη πού «πύλαι ἅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς», κανένας ἅδης, καμμιά Πολιτεία, κανένα σκληρό μέτρο δέν μπορεῖ νά σταματήσει... τήν Ἐκκλησία. Εἶναι ἀδύνατον νά γίνει, παρά μόνο ἄν ἐμεῖς λόγω φόβου, ἀδυναμίας καί ἀσπιστίας τό ἐπιτρέψουμε. Δέν γίνεται «πύλαι ἅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς»
Ἐμεῖς συνεχίζουμε τήν Χριστιανική μας ζωή πέρα ἀπό τίς ὁποιεσδήποτε ἀνώμαλες, ἀντιχριστιανικές ἀποφάσεις παίρνουνε. Τίποτε δέν μᾶς ἐμποδίζει καί δέν θά ἐνδώσει ὁ Χριστιανός σέ καιρούς διωγμῶν νά λειτουργήσει.

Ἐδῶ ὅταν μπαίνετε σέ μία ἐκκλησία μέσα, βλέπετε μία Ἁγία Τράπεζα πάντα στό κέντρο. Ἔτσι εἶναι σήμερα δομημένη ἡ Ἁγία Τράπεζα ὁποιασδήποτε ἐκκλησίας βλέπετε. Ἄν αὔριο μία κρατική ἐξουσία ἀπαγορεύσει τήν Λειτουργία καί πεῖ «διώκονται ὅλοι οἱ Χριστιανοί, κανείς δέν θά πάει Λειτουργία, ἀπαγορεύονται οἱ Λειτουργίες» καί βάλουν ἀπ΄ ἔξω στρατιωτικούς. Εἶναι ἔτσι δομημένη (ἡ Ἐκκλησία / ὁ ναός), ὁ παπᾶς πού τό ξέρει νά πάρει τήν Ἁγία Τράπεζα στήν τσέπη του, ὅπως τό λέω, τό Ἀντιμήνσιο. Ὑπάρχει ἕνα πανί πού λέγεται Ἀντιμήνσιο, λατινικά anti mensa = ἀντί τραπέζης, πού εἶναι ἁγιασμένο καί ἀντικαθιστᾶ τήν Ἁγία Τράπεζα.

Νά ξέρω πού αὔριο τό πρωί βγῆκε διαταγή νά μή λειτουργήσω, νά πάρω τό Ἀντιμήνσιο πού εἶναι ἔτσι φτιαγμένο καί ραμμένο, τό διπλώνω καί μπαίνει στό μικρό μου τσεπάκι. Καί νά πάω στά βουνά καί νά κάνω Λειτουργία μαζί σας ἄν ἔχετε τήν τόλμη. Καί ἄν ἀκόμη μέ βάλουνε φυλακή καί ποῦν «εἶσαι τρελός δέν θά λειτουργεῖς», καί μοῦ πάρουν καί τό Ἀντιμήνσιο, τότε στήν φυλακή ἄν εἴμαστε φυλακισμένοι μαζί, θά σοῦ πῶ «ξάπλωσε κάτω». Θά ξαπλώσεις κάτω καί θά κάνω Λειτουργία πάνω στό στῆθος σου χωρίς Ἀντιμήνσιο! Ὁ κάθε πιστός εἶναι εἰκόνα τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καί ἐπειδή εἶναι εἰκόνα τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὁ κάθε πιστός εἶναι μία Ἁγία Τράπεζα. Θά βάλω πάνω στό στῆθος σου ἕνα πλαστικό ποτηράκι, λίγο ψωμί πού θά βρῶ ἀπό τό φαγητό τῶν φυλακισμένων καί ἕνα πιάτο ὁποιοδήποτε καί θά κάνω Λειτουργία! Δέν μᾶς σταματάει τίποτε, εἴμαστε ἀποφασισμένοι γιά ὅλα! Ἤ στά βουνά ἤ στίς φυλακές, τίποτε δέν μᾶς σταματάει!

Ποιά ἐξουσία λοιπόν;

Πῶς γινόταν Λειτουργία τόσα χρόνια διωγμῶν; Αὐτά τά σκεφτήκατε ποτέ; Τά περιγράφει πανέμορφα, πάρα πολύ ὡραία αὐτά τά γεγονότα ὁ πατήρ Βίργκιλ Γκεοργκίου, αὐτές τίς ἀκραῖες περιπτώσεις. Γιατί ἔζησε σέ ἕνα καθεστώς πού ἐδίωκε τούς Χριστιανούς. Καί μάλιστα ἦταν ὁ βιώσας καί ὁ πράξας, ὑπό τήν ἔννοια ὅτι πρίν γίνει κληρικός ἦταν Γενικός Γραμματέας τοῦ Κομμουνιστικοῦ Κόμματος Ρουμανίας, δέν ἦταν τυχαία προσωπικότητα. Καί ξέρει τήν πράξη τῶν γεγονότων, ὅταν τά περιγράφει.
Ἡ Ἐκκλησία εἶναι Κοινωνία καί χωρίς Κοινωνία δέν γίνεται τίποτε! Δέν ἔχω νά πῶ κάτι ἄλλο.

Ἀπομαγνητοφωνημένο ἀπόσπασμα ὁμιλίας ἀπὸ τὸ «Ῥωμαίικο Ὁδοιπορικό», τοῦ πρωτοπρεσβυτέρου πατρός Κωνσταντίνου Στρατηγόπουλου, μέ θέμα «Α' πρός Τιμόθεον Ἐπιστολή τοῦ Ἀποστόλου Παύλου», ἐκφωνήθηκε 04-04-2013.
http://www.orthodoxia-ellhnismos.gr/2020/10/blog-post_63.html

New book: THE CAIQUE FROM LAVRA

A priceless time capsule of the thousand-year monastic spirit of Megisti Lavra,, the greatest, oldest Athonite monastery. A true record of the spirit of monasticism, the search for God on the Holy Mountain that is no longer. Athos is now a place of recreation, a destination of guided tours, a place of luxury living.

Christmas 2023-a message in the spirit of Orthodox Athos
And it came to be that the world stands at the threshold
once we cross it there is no return
new unpredictable and mostly unimaginable events and states occur
geologically politically morally

and it came to be inevitably
paradoxically the work of Science and the consequence of ignoring Science

The Earth is dying, our souls are dying, the Christian world is dying
Athos the Agion Oros is dying

α' Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν. β' ἡ δὲ πόλις ἦν ἀόρατος καὶ ἀκατασκεύαστος, καὶ φόβος ἐπάνω τῆς ἀβύσσου, καὶ πνεῦμα Θεοῦ ἐπεφέρετο ἐπάνω της πόλεως. γ' καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Θεός
let it be
in this hour of darkness
let it be
there will be an answer
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be

The caique from Lavra, by Michael Nikoletseas - a review

This is the story of Mikail, his journey to Athonite monasticism. If you are looking for a book on sermons, admonition and miracles, look elsewhere. If you have read "The Bear" by William Falkner and found it boring, if you have been wondering why such a big fuss about it, you will feel the same reading The Caique.

Michail visits Athos and for unexplained reasons he feels anxiety or fear overcoming him. This triggers a flight around Athos and a desperate attempt to leave Athos instantly. An experience with the police at the airport of Thessaloniki has such a profound effect on him that he cancels his flight and returns to Athos.

He spends the summer at the monastery of Megisti Lavra. As fall approaches he decides to leave. He goes down the hill to the little port of the monastery to catch the caique. The events that follow are such that the reader becomes aware of the universality of this story. This story is about dark paths man's soul traverses in life and death.

Here I have confined myself to the manifest content of the story. The real story is in the realm of the spiritual. That is for later.
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You can now read the book at Harvard, also in English and Greek here
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Michael_Nikoletseas_THE_CAIQ...

Buy on amazon