Definitive New Book on Mount Athos

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Marsha Lyttle
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Definitive New Book on Mount Athos

Post by Marsha Lyttle »

In the words of Bishop Kallistos of Diokleia, January 2005

“The combination of text and image makes [this] book exceptional within the existing literature on Athos, and even unique. I cannot think of any other photographic record of the Mountain that so exactly and truthfully captures its inner spirit.”

As featured in the July/August issue of “Odyssey”, "Miracle on the Monastery Mountain" contains over 600 stunning photographs and a captivating narrative of the unexpected, unforeseen and, as many believe, the miraculous renewal and reawakening of the Byzantine Orthodox Monastic Republic of Mount Athos.

An American photographer who first traveled to Mount Athos with a Greek friend in 1972 was captivated by the beauty and meaning in Orthodox worship services in frescoed monastery churches and the lasting friendship and trust he gained with the dedicated and inspiring monks. Twenty-two visits and 50,000 photographs later, he wrote “Miracle on the Monastery Mountain.”

From a review by Dian Moore: “...a work of art lovingly compiled by a gentleman photographer…. Through his experience, I found myself fascinated, swept up, humbled and saddened, breathless and nourished — all through a careful compilation of words and pictures. ‘Miracle’ is organized in nine well-thought-out sections beginning in the 1970’s with the crumbling and dying monasteries on Mount Athos, and continuing through its renewal, both physical and spiritual….”

More book information, contact info, as well as on-line ordering is available through the author’s website at: www.athosmonasteries.com.

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ioannis
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Post by ioannis »

Mt. Athos in recent years is a story of the collapse and selling of its autonomy to Bartholomew. Now that they have recently installed electricity, internet, showers, central heat, public phones, enormous piles of EU cash for construction, and an army of Albanian Muslim workers to go along with it, people are saying it is a "miracle" there is a "revival" on the Holy Mountain? St. Paul's is now up to 12 monks, St. Panteleimons once housed hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of monks, and has room for many more, is up to around 25 monks - this is a miracle?

Meanwhile, the only true Orthodox Monastery on Mt. Athos, the Royal Monastery of Esphigmenou, which has the most monks of any of the monasteries, over a hundred, is being persecuted. The new ruler of Mt athos, Bartholomew is trying by means of starvation, the denial of medicine, and basic human rights to get rid of these monks so he can install his goons and so that monastery too can become a country club of ecumenists.

This is a miracle? Yes, with many people it all about numbers. 1000 monks in a hot tub is better than 1 praying.

But I am sure the pictures in this book are very nice. Unfortunatley today, that's all Orthodoxy is to most "Orthodox" people, something that's "nice" - a sort of cultural relic.

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