The Holy and Great Monastery of Vatopedi (also spelled Vatopaidi[1], Greek: Βατοπέδι or Βατοπαίδι, pronounced [vatoˈpeði]) on Mount Athos, Greece, was built during the second half of the 10th century by three monks, Athanasius, Nicholas, and Antonius, from Adrianople, who were disciples of Athanasius the Athonite. A legendary tradition says that its construction was ordered in the 5th century by Eastern Roman Emperor Theodosius on the site of a church built by Constantine the Great in the 4th century. Theodosius built the monastery to honour the miraculous salvation by the Virgin Mary of her son from a shipwreck. The child is said to have been found in a brier bush – hence vatos – βάτος "brier" and paidi – παιδί "child".
From then onwards, several buildings have been constructed, most of them were built during the Byzantine period and during the 18th and 19th centuries when the monastery reached its highest peak.
About 100 monks live in the monastery today, where extensive construction projects are underway to restore the larger buildings.
The monastery is open to males and male animals. No females may enter, except female cats are allowed[2] and female animals the size of chickens or smaller are allowed.[3]. Reservations to stay at the monastery are required in addition to the permit to enter Mount Athos.
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The following large Sketes are attached to Vatopedi: the Skete of Saint Andrew in Karyes and the Skete of Saint Demetrius near the main monastery. Other smaller sketes are also attached to the monastery.
The Monastery of Vatopedi holds a belt held by believers to be the actual belt of the Theotokos, which she wore on earth and gave to Thomas the Apostle after her death and during her transition to heaven. The silver and jewel-encrusted reliquary containing the skull of St. John Chrysostom is kept in the Monastery and is credited by Eastern Orthodox Christians with miraculous healings. The monastery also contains the Iaspis, a chalice fashioned of a single piece of the precious stone jasper, and numerous icons.
Vatopedi's library preserves a medieval royal charter, the 13th-century Vatopedi Charter of Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria dedicated to the monastery. It was discovered in the monastery's archives in 1929.
The library holds 2,000 manuscripts and 35,000 printed books. Among its manuscripts are Uncial 063 and Uncial 0102.
In September 2008, the monastery was implicated in a real estate scandal. The monastery traded low-value land for high-value state property in a deal with the New Democracy government of Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis. The cost to the state is believed to have been at least €100 million; the financial writer Michael Lewis reports that a Greek parliamentary commission estimated the value of government property received by the monastery at one billion euros.[1]. However, after investigations, the estimations of the public agencies for the exchanged real estate objects have been found in order [4]. After the story became public, the government cancelled the land deals and two ministers resigned, under huge pressure from the media and public [5]. Additionally, Parliament voted unanimously to set up a commission to investigate the deal.[6][7]. Until early December 2011, and 3 years after the reveal of the alleged scandal, none of the two different investigating parliamentary commissions and various trials have found any of the persons involved guilty [8]. Michael Lewis in his book Boomerang [9] reckons that the monks wanted to use the profit for restoring the monastery to its former glory. In December 2011, the Abbot Ephraim was arrested and jailed pending trial for this alleged fraud and embezzlement[10].
There are seven icons of the Mother of God in the monastery purported by believers to be miracle-working: Elaiovrytissa, Ktetorissa (Vimatarissa), Esphagmeni, Pantanassa, Pyrovolitheisa, Antiphonitria and Paramythia.[11]
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