Esphigmenou

Esphigmenou
Εσφιγμένου
External view of the monastery façade from a nearby quay.
Esphigmenou is located in Mount Athos
Esphigmenou
Location within Mount Athos
Monastery information
Full nameSacred Patriarchal and Stauropegic Monastery Esphigmenou
Dedicated toAscension of Christ
DioceseMount Athos
People
Founder(s)Theodosius II & Pulcheria (According to Athonite tradition)
PriorArchimandrite Elder Methodius (Papalambrakopoulos) (de facto); Archimandrite Elder Bartholomew (Gazetas) (de jure)
Site
LocationMount Athos, Greece
Coordinates40°21′10″N 24°08′17″E / 40.352689°N 24.138053°E / 40.352689; 24.138053
Public accessMen only

The Sacred Patriarchal and Stauropegic Monastery Esphigmenou (Greek: Ιερά Πατριαρχική και Σταυροπηγιακή Μονή Εσφιγμένου) is an Eastern Orthodox monastery dedicated to the Ascension of Christ in the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece. It is built next to the sea at the northern part of the Athonite peninsula. Located near the Hilandar monastery, it is the northernmost of all Athonite monasteries.

The current monastery dates back to the 10th century, while tradition holds that the site had been used as a monastery since as early as the 5th century. Esphigmenou ranks eighteenth in the hierarchy of the Athonite monasteries and since the early 1970s has been embroiled in legal and ecclesiastical disputes. It is considered amongst the most conservative of the monastic houses on Mount Athos.[1]

  1. ^ "In the Balkans, the forces of pious chauvinism speak louder again". The Economist. 17 November 2017. Retrieved 18 November 2017.