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

Moni Xiropotamou

Greek-orthodox, Holiday: March 9

A legend says that the monastery already was established in the 5th Century by the Virgin Poulcheria, daughter of the Emperor Arkadios. 

Another tradition says that it was founded in the 9th Century by the Blessed Xeropotamenos Pavlos, an opponent of St. Athanasios and was presumably to provide an alternative to the Megistis Lavra monastery. Since then there have also existed the most important relic of the monastery from Pavlos 933AD (?) and a splinter of the Cross of Christ, which Emperor Romanos brought. 


In its early days it seemed that the monastery played only a minor role in Athos. At the end of the 11th Century documents, however, showed a significant increase in its prosperity, which had continued until 1309AD. 

In the 16th and the 17 Century, the monastery, near the Strait of Daphni after Caries was located directly on the water, and had several victims from pirate raids, which was obviously due to its design, it is less like a fortress, but more like a large Venetian villa. 

During the Turkish occupation the monastery increasingly impoverished. The monks were desperate between 1706AD and 1736AD and the venerability of their monastery confirmed. 

Because the monks travel with the relic is now not only in the immediate vicinity, but even up to Russia asking alms for their monastery. 

Unfortunately, the monastery has been several times destroyed by fires, in 1280AD, 1507AD, 1609AD and in 1974D because the fire started from the foundations there were no monastery buildings to preserve. The oldest building of today's establishment comes from the 18th Century.