Skete of Bogoroditsa (Βογορόδιτσας)-Xylourgou

Skete of Bogoroditsa (Βογορόδιτσας)-Xylourgou

Bogoroditsa (Greek: Σκήτη Βογορόδιτσας or The Monastery of Xylourgos) is a skete (smaller, dependent monastic house) of the Agiou Panteleimonos monastery (Monastery of St. Panteleimon) in the monastic state of Mount Athos, Greece.

The first monastery, the Monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos of Xylourgos (or of Rous), is identified with the present-day Vogoroditsa hermitage (it is located 700 meters above sea level near Pantokratoros Monastery). According to tradition, it was founded by Saint Vladimir the Apostle (949–1015) shortly after his baptism in 998.

The first surviving signature of the abbot of the Monastery belongs to Gerasimos, who signed the statute of 1016.

In 1143, the Monastery was granted by the decision of the First to Serbian monks from Rausio, today's Kotor in Montenegro. The assumption that the Monastery already during this period had a Russian character is mainly based on the fact that during the recording and delivery of all movable objects and books to the new abbot Nikiforos, some are characterized as being of Russian origin. The Monastery is mentioned in a series of documents from the years 1030, 1048, 1070. In all these documents and any others signed by its representatives, it is referred to by the Greek name "Xylourgou" (Carpener) and they use the Greek language. Nowhere is it called "of the Russians" and nowhere is it mentioned that Russians lived in it, even until 1169.

Soon, as a result of the increase of the Serbian monks of the Monastery and after the request of the abbot Lavrentios in 1169, they were granted the Thessaloniki Monastery, where today the so-called Paleomonastir, and its "cells in Karea" were granted.

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