The Touristic Info Halkidiki informs: Mount Athos - Monasteries and skites

Moni Agiou Panteleimonos

Russian Orthodox, Holiday: July 27

Monk Leontios is designated as the founder of the monastery, also known as "Rossikon" (Russian monastery), at the end of the 10th Century, though here and there the year 1030 AD is also mentioned.

Old documents show abbots of various names from the 11th Century. Why the monastery was in the 12th Century, then abandoned and dilapidated, is unknown. Russian monks who lived in the 11th Century in Mount Athos probably lived before in the former monastery "Xylurgou".

The Russian monks with their abbot Laurentios received the order that the monastery Panteleimon should be rebuilt. Even today the monastery houses the instrument of the then Protos Ioannes. In the subsequent period Panteleimonos was the most important monastery for the Russians, while this means Xylurgou was lost.

In 1309AD, the monastery was burnt down by Catalan mercenaries. During the reconstruction of the monastery the Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos (1282AD-1328AD), received some privileges to the monastery. In the 14th and 15th Century, it was supported by Serbian and Romanian princes. In the 16th Century, Russian tsars were generous patrons of the monastery.

Because of the political differences between Russia and Turkey, the Russian monks left their monastery in 1735AD. This was the end of the history of the monastery to its original formation, monastery ruins are still there. Greek monks began in 1765AD the construction of the monastery at the place where it is today.

However, in 1840AD Russian monks went back. Since this time the monastery has enjoyed a true renaissance and it has been almost like a small town. 
At the end of the 19th Century it had about 1,500 monks, while early in the 20th Century, even more than 1,900. The monastery has up to 25,000 Russian pilgrims every year. Once it was one of the richest monasteries on Mount Athos, because it was supported financially from Russia. This changed, though, with the Russian October Revolution in 1917AD.

The monastery from then on took no money from home and its property in Russia and Georgia was also seized. This would almost have been its end to the monastic history. Yet, somehow the remaining monks managed to keep their convent.

In 1968AD a fire destroyed a portion of the building complex.

The most impressive possessions of the monastery is the icon of St. Panteleimon (to whom the monastery is also dedicated) and a part of the completely covered in gold iconostasis of the monastery church.

The monastery’s subordinates assumed to be the Skit Bogorodica.