The only females allowed in the area are female cats - presumably they are needed to catch mice. Women were banned from Mount Athos in order to ensure that the monks kept their vows of celibacy. Today there are over 20 monasteries on the mountain and nearby peninsula, and it is home to almost 2500 monks, some of which live in caves and huts.įor millennium women and even female animals have been banned from the enclave which is an autonomous political entity in the Greek Republic. There have been Christians living on the mount for almost 1800 years. This is because of the unique history of the autonomous monastic community on Mount Athos. Wynn-Antikas told The Guardian that, ‘If we are talking about a woman or indeed more than one woman, it will raise a lot of questions’. (Phaidon Hadjiantoniou) Raising questions Some of the bones found at the Chapel of Athanasios seem to be female. This led her to conclude that the bones were female remains. The anthropologist found that some of the bones unearthed ‘had measurements that noticeably fell in the range of a female’ according to The Guardian. Some of those found in the chapel’s subsoil were not as robust as others found at Mount Athos and appear too small to be from men. Laura Wynn-Antikas, an American anthropologist examined the bones and compared them with others found at the monastic site.
The monastery’s abbot and monks were perplexed at the finds. It appears that they had been initially buried elsewhere and were at one time interred under the chapel, in what is known as a secondary burial. There are believed to have been seven people buried under the floor. The remains unearthed ‘included a forearm, shinbone and sacrum’ according to The Guardian. Hadjiantoniou was intrigued and it was the first time he had found bones beneath a chapel floor and he immediately contacted a specialist. The chapel is dedicated to St Athanasios, which dates back to the Byzantine Empire and is part of the monastery of Pantokrator. If the bones are confirmed to be female it may force researchers to rethink the history of Mount Athos, which is one of the holiest places in Orthodox Christianity.Ī restorer, Phaidon Hadjiantoniou, who has been working at the site for decades, unearthed the bones in a chapel’s subsoil, during conservation work. Some of the bones seem to be female remains and this is raising eyebrows among many academics. They were found on Mount Athos, which is a male-only area, populated exclusively by monks. If this happens, the icons will have fulfilled their purpose.An examination of some bones has surprised many experts in Greece. But what's troubling these waters is 9/11.įather Lukas: “I personally want this church, through the iconography to open up a new horizon for people, that they come away with hope. Nicholas, by tradition, as the patron of seafarers, lifting a man from a violent sea. to communicate the spirit of Mount Athos to the people.”įather Lukas granted us an early look at 56 icons for the project. Father Lukas: “God has called me to do this work. Master iconographer Father Lukas is painting the iconography for the new St. The Xenophontos Monastery is a fortress against time.
Athos), and the Katholikon of the Monastery of Saint John the Forerunner, as well as the Refectory of the same Monastery.įather Loukas was also featured on the Septemedition of 60 Minutes: click here to viewīelow is a bit of the transcript of that show ( 60 Minutes), which gives a sense of Father Loukas: These have included the Katholikon (main church) of his own Monastery, the Refectory (communal dining area) of the Monastery of Iveron, the Katholikon of the Monastery of Simonos Petras, the Tower of the Protaton (the oldest Church on Mt. Athos with the team of Iconographers of his Monastery. In the photos below, you will see some portrayals of Father Loukas working in other settings on Mt. And it was at Xenophontos that his God-given talent and studious, disciplined monastic practice, earned him a place among the finest living iconographers in the world today. Coming to the Monastery of Xenophontos when he was only 21 years old, he has remained with the brotherhood there ever since. And we are so very blessed that he is the one whose work will fill Saint Nicholas. He paints because it is his Spirit-filled vocation. He seeks not personal glory, fame, or recognition. Father Loukas, the iconographer whose prayerful and Spirit-filled work will adorn the Saint Nicholas National Shrine, is a true monk. They retreat from the world, not for any fame or personal glory, but to enter into a deeper relationship with God on the world’s behalf. It is very rare to learn the details of a monk’s life.
Father Loukas of Xenophontos – Iconographer Extraordinaire
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