Mt. Athos, Greece: Of Monks and Men

The monastery of Grigoriou, as seen from the ferry. (Neil Averitt - Neil Averitt)

Another thing notably absent is the feminine touch; even most female animals are excluded. Partly this is a consequence of monastic status, for Mount Athos is basically a cooperative of private monasteries. Another reason is a belief that Christ gave the peninsula to his mother, Mary, to be her private garden, and other women are excluded to more distinctively honor the Virgin Mary.

The exclusion of women is, naturally, controversial. The European Parliament has endorsed a report containing a paragraph that suggests this is a violation of women's rights. The Greek government has responded that the special status of Mount Athos was recognized in conjunction with the treaty by which Greece joined the European Union in the first place.

In any event, for the male visitor there are some benefits. The absence of women seems to ease communication among the men and to heighten introspection by removing, not sexual tensions precisely, but a layer of social complexities that would otherwise demand attention. The ban also protects a shared mood among the visitors. Now they are those willing to focus on the spiritual experience, and they share that bond.

Many fear that if the ban were removed, Mount Athos would become a tourist destination like any other, its distinctive atmosphere lost.

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As my week wound down, I realized that a kind of spiritual detox had taken place. I knew I had been on Mount Athos long enough when I began to look forward to the pre-dawn ritual, when I accepted with contentment whatever portion of food was offered, and when I felt no particular compulsion to learn the latest news. I did, however, miss the reliable bathroom fixtures of the outside world.

On the way back to the ferry and the mainland, I passed through the town of Karyai, the administrative seat of Mount Athos and, with a population of about 350, surely the smallest and dustiest capital in Europe. The main street has a few general stores. Pack mules are a common sight. But I was able to buy a candy bar there.

Arriving back in Ouranopolis, I experienced a brief culture shock. Women! Children! Cars! Crowds! I soon adjusted, but the memory of Athos lingered. And I had packed a Byzantine flag as a souvenir.

Mount Athos admits about 120 Orthodox visitors and about 10 non-Orthodox ones per day. Info: Friends of Mount Athos,http://www.bates.edu/~rallison/friends. For entry permits: Mount Athos Pilgrims' Bureau, 109 Egnatia St., GR-54635 Thessaloniki, Greece, 011-30-2310-252578. The monasteries can also be viewed from the sea without restriction, on tour boats out of Ouranopolis.

Neil Averitt is a Washington writer.