On the northwestern side of the Athos peninsula, by the sea, lies the Monastery of Pantokrator, between those of Vatopediou and Iviron. Its founders are considered to be Alexios I Komnenos and the Byzantine grand general Alexios Strategopoulos, together with his brother, the grand primicerius Ioannis (around 1350). However, it is only mentioned in sources from the mid-14th century. In the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, there is a huge icon of Christ Pantokrator that was dedicated by the brothers to the monastery.
In 1394, the monastery was destroyed by fire and was rebuilt with the patronage of Emperor Manuel II. It suffered the same fate in 1773 and 1948 when it was struck by devastating fires, but managed to recover. Its property extended to Thasos, Lemnos, Halkidiki, and a dependency near Serres. During the Ottoman period, it received financial support from the rulers of the Danubian regions, and even from Empress Catherine the Great herself.
On the eastern side of the monastery’s entrance propylon, there is a fountain with the inscription: “ΕΥ Ω ΠΑΓΑ ΣΩΜΑ ΝΟΟΝ ΑΜ’ΩΣ ΑΓΑΠΩ ΥΕ” (Good spring, refresh both the body and mind as I wish). The Catholicon is dedicated to the Transfiguration of Christ and is contemporary with the time of the monastery’s construction. It was frescoed in the third quarter of the 14th century and repainted in 1854 by Matthaios Ioannis, from Naousa. The iconostasis is considered one of the oldest on Mount Athos. In the church, there is the miraculous icon of the Virgin of Gerontissa. The Refectory was built in 1741 and frescoed in 1742, while the bell tower is from the 19th century.
In Karyes, the monastery has a dependency known as the “Ravdouhou” cell. It has been an annex since the time of the founders in 1357. Today, from the old small monastery, the church and the tower remain, which were added by the two founding brothers in 1357. The monastery houses several relics of saints, such as those of Theodore the General, Saints Cosmas and Damian, and a piece of the shield of Saint Mercurius. The library contains about 350 handwritten manuscripts and approximately 3,500 books. One of the most famous is a large-letter Psalter from the 9th century. It also contains many Greek and Turkish documents, including a Vlach one from the 17th century. The monastery is also responsible for the Skete of the Prophet Elias, which was founded in 1759 by the Russian monk Paisios.
Text: Dr. Antonios G. Dikaios / Theologian – Environmentalist.
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