The Monastery of Konstantinou, or Kastamonitou, is founded on a lush hillside on the western side of Mount Athos, near the Sigitikos Gulf. Claiming ancient origins, tradition recognizes the founder as Emperor Constantine the Great and his son Constantius. However, written sources place its establishment in the middle of the 11th century. Its name may be linked to an early settler from Kastamonon in Paphlagonia, or perhaps to a member of the prominent Byzantine family of the Kastamonites.
In the 14th century, the monastery was set on fire by Catalan pirates, and its reconstruction occurred in 1433 thanks to the donations of Princess Anna of Serbia, known as Philanthropini, Prince George Branović, and the general Raditz, who came here to become a monk under the name Romanos.
The monastery attracted many Slavic-speaking monks, and its prosperity lasted until around 1500. A fire in 1717 led to its decline, but it was revived in 1818 as a cenobitic community with funds from Ali Pasha, following the mediation of the famous Lady Vasiliki. On the foundations of an older church, the catholicon was built in 1867 according to the Athonite typology. It has eight lead-covered domes and is dedicated to Saint Stephen, but lacks frescoes. Inside, there is the miraculous icon of the Virgin Antiphonitria. A characteristic relic is a silver-plated Gospel from 1820, an exquisite example of Epirus silversmithing. According to tradition, it was a gift from Lady Vasiliki.
Text: Dr. Antonios G. Dikaios / Theologian – Environmentalist.
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