PM backs preservation of Athos heritage

   Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis said on Saturday that his government would help monks at Mount Athos, an ancient self-governing Orthodox community located on a northern peninsula, to preserve their unique spiritual and cultural heritage.

    Ending the official segment of a two-day visit to the remote peninsula, which houses about 20 monasteries and 1,500 monks, Karamanlis attended services, also viewing Byzantine treasures and an icon of the Virgin Mary that is reputed to have wrought miracles.

    In addition, the prime minister planted a wild mulberry tree at a monastery entrance as a token of his respect for Athos' spiritual and earthly environment.

    Under its ancient privileged status, Athos is a self-administering part of the Greek state while falling under the country's sovereignty. Spiritually, the "Holy Mountain" lies under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul.

    All who live the monastic life on Athos acquire Greek citizenship as soon as they are accepted as novices or monks, with no further formalities.ΤέλοςφόρμαςΑρχήφόρμας

   

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