The EU allocated €5.3 million to save the monastery buildings of Mount Athos

Simonopetra Monastery

Central Macedonian authorities allocated €5.3 million from the European program ESPA for seven projects for the restoration and modernization of objects on Mount Athos. Financing decisions were signed by the regional governor Athena Aidona.

It is important to clarify: we are not talking about seven monasteries, but about seven separate projects in six monasteries and associated hermitages. The work will take place in the monasteries of Caracal, Kutlumush, Xenophon, Great Lavra, Simonopetra and St. Paul, as well as in the monasteries of St. Anne and the Annunciation of the Virgin.

In the monastery Caracal The cathedral church and tower of the 16th century will be restored. IN Kutlumushe It is planned to strengthen and repair the western part of the residential building, reconstruct the roof, work on the bell tower and update the utility networks.

In the monastery Xenophon they will modernize the fourth floor of the southwestern wing, and in the monastery of the Annunciation that belongs to it, they will strengthen the retaining walls and put in order the area around the cell of the Holy Archangels, where problems with the masonry and foundations have arisen due to humidity and soil movements.

One of the most urgent sites is located in the monastery of St. Anne, which belongs to the Great Lavra. The Cell of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, supposedly built in the mid-18th century, has remained uninhabited since the 1980s and is gradually being destroyed. After restoration, they plan to make it suitable for living and monastic use again.

IN Simonopetre An old oil mill from 1851 will be turned into an exhibition space with workshops for icon painting and sewing. In the monastery St. Paul’s will restore part of the north-west wing and equip premises for care for the elderly.

According to the governor of the Central Macedonia region, Athena Aidona, the funds are used to make the monastery buildings safe and functional for monks and pilgrims, while preserving the historical and architectural fabric of Athos.

The funding coincided with an increase in the number of pilgrims. According to Greek carriers, from January 1 to June 16, 2026, more than 163 thousand passengerswhich is approximately 30% more than in the same period last year. Against the backdrop of this load, old buildings, piers, cells and outbuildings They require not symbolic whitewashing, but normal conservation and repair.

Editorial comment

For Athos, €5.3 million is a small fraction of what is required, rather an attempt to prevent part of the heritage from completely crumbling. Many buildings on the Holy Mountain stand on slopes, under the constant influence of moisture, wind, time and frequent earthquakes. When tens of thousands of pilgrims are added to the mix, the old walls quickly remind that spirituality does not cancel physics and the need to change a leaking roof.

Projects in cells and outbuildings are especially importantwhich rarely appear on postcards, but without them monastic life simply does not work. Athos rests not only on famous cathedrals and frescoes, but also on stairs, retaining walls, workshops, kitchens, plumbing and the people who keep it all in working order.

Source link