Holy Community of Mount Athos

The Holy Community of Mount Athos is an autonomous monastic republic located on a Greek peninsula, inhabited exclusively by Eastern Orthodox monks. It functions as a self-governing spiritual center with its own administration, laws, and traditions. Home to around 20 monasteries and many smaller sketes and cells, it has a rich history of religious life, scholarship, and art dating back over a thousand years. Mount Athos is renowned for its spiritual solitude, preservation of Orthodox Christian heritage, and strict access policies—only men are allowed, and visits require special permission—making it a unique religious enclave.