Dionysiou Monastery

Dionysiou Monastery
Ιερά Μονή Διονυσίου

External view of the monastery.
Location within Mount Athos
Monastery information
Full name Holy Monastery of Dionysiou
Order Ecumenical Patriarchate
Established mid 14th century
Dedicated to John the Baptist
Diocese Mount Athos
People
Founder(s) Dionysios
Prior Archimandrite Elder Petros
Important associated figures Nicodemus the Hagiorite
Architecture
Style Byzantine
Site
Location Mount Athos, Greece
Coordinates 40°10′04.88″N 24°16′25.91″E / 40.1680222°N 24.2738639°E / 40.1680222; 24.2738639Coordinates: 40°10′04.88″N 24°16′25.91″E / 40.1680222°N 24.2738639°E / 40.1680222; 24.2738639
Public access Men only

Dionysiou Monastery (Greek: Μονή Διονυσίου) is an Eastern Orthodox monastery at the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece in southwest part of Athos peninsula. The monastery ranks fifth in the hierarchy of the Athonite monasteries. It is one of the twenty self-governing monasteries in Athos, and it was dedicated to John the Baptist.

History

Dionysiou monastery as seen from a nearby cliff
Dionysiou monastery

The monastery was founded in the 14th century by Saint Denys de Korisos, and it was named after him. The architect decided to build the monastery in Byzantinian style. By the end of the 15h century according to the Russian pilgrim Isaiah, the monastery was Serb.[1]

The library of the monastery housed 804 manuscripts, and more than 4,000 printed books. The oldest manuscripts came from the 11th century.

Today the monastery has a community of around 50 monks.

Manuscripts

References

  1. A. E. Bakalopulos (1973). History of Macedonia, 1354-1833. [By] A.E. Vacalopoulos. p. 166. At the end of the 15th century, the Russian pilgrim Isaiah relates that the monks support themselves with various kinds of work including the cultivation of their vineyards....He also tells us that nearly half the monasteries are Slav or Albanian. As Serbian he instances Docheiariou, Grigoriou, Ayiou Pavlou, a monastery near Ayiou Pavlou and dedicated to St. John the Theologian (he no doubt means the monastery of Ayiou Dionysiou), and Chilandariou. Panteleïmon is Russian, Simonopetra is Bulgarian, and Karakallou and Philotheou are Albanian.
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