# Xenophontos monastery-fortress

- **Country:** Greece
- **Century Built:** Byzantine period
- **Location Text:** Mount Athos

Xenophontos Monastery is an Eastern Orthodox religious complex situated on the western shore of the Mount Athos peninsula in Greece. Founded by Saint Xenophon during the 10th or 11th century, the monastery is dedicated to Saint George and remains an active spiritual community accessible only to men. The site is architecturally distinct for possessing two main churches, known as katholicons. The older structure dates back to the late 10th century and is located closer to the sea, while the newer church was constructed in 1817 in the neo-classical style. This larger 19th-century building, completed just prior to the Greek Revolution of 1821, stands adjacent to the main tower and is renowned for its exceptional acoustics and a large cross suspended above the inner sanctum.

The monastery holds significant historical and cultural value, particularly regarding its musical traditions. The choirs at Xenophontos are celebrated for performing some of the finest traditional Byzantine chanting on the entire peninsula, rivaling only the renowned groups at Vatopedi and Gregoriou monasteries. In modern times, the community experienced a major spiritual revival in 1976 when Archimandrite Alexios arrived with seventeen monks from the Great Meteoron monastery. Having served as abbot there since 1973, Alexios brought renewed vigor to the order and continues to lead the brotherhood today. The complex currently includes eleven internal chapels and six external ones, serving as a hub for continuous prayer and monastic life.

Currently, the monastery is undergoing extensive renovations funded by the Greek Government and the European Commission to preserve its heritage. These restoration efforts employ many workers from Albania who reside nearby to assist in maintaining the historic structures. Despite the construction activity, the monastery functions as a vibrant center of Orthodoxy within the autonomous monastic state of Mount Athos. Its combination of ancient foundations, neo-classical architectural additions, and living musical traditions makes it a unique landmark in the region, bridging over a millennium of religious history with contemporary spiritual practice.

![Photo of Xenophontos monastery-fortress](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Athos-xenophontos.jpg)

**Source:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenophontos_monastery (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)