twenty lauras are the great laura of St. Athanasius (Greek), the enormous Russian Panteleïmon (Russiko), the old Georgian monastery of the Falling Asleep of the Mother of God (Iviron, now Greek), Vatopedi, Esfigmenu, Zografu, &c.[1] Each is governed by its own Hegumenos, and no one has authority over another, though many have dependent kellia,[2] which, of course, obey their mother-house. Some lauras are Cœnobic and others Idiorythmic. But there is a general administration for the whole commonwealth chosen in this way. Each monastery sends one deputy and one assistant-deputy to Karyaes, in the middle of the peninsula. The twenty deputies are divided into five groups of four each, and each group takes it in turn to preside over the whole colony. They have no authority over the internal arrangements of each laura, but they have to judge between them in disputes and represent the whole in exterior affairs, that is with the Porte and the Phanar. A Turkish Aga[3] also lives at Karyaes. The Government of Athos keeps a representative at the Phanar and at Salonike. The various lauras have metochia[4] all over Macedonia, and even as far off as Tiflis and Moscow. The Metropolitan of Heraclea comes to hold ordinations, but always as the guest of the Hegumenos of each laura, and on the distinct understanding that he has no jurisdiction. The monks are exceedingly hospitable to guests, but the guests must be men. One of the strictest of all laws here is that no woman, nor even any sort of female animal, may ever set foot on the Holy Mountain. The Aga during his time of office has to live in unwilling celibacy. In 1902 there were 7,522 monks at Athos—3,615 Russians, 3,207 Greeks, 340 Bulgars, 288 Vlachs, 53 Georgians, and 18 Serbs. Unhappily the international quarrels that rend all the Orthodox Church flourish exceedingly on the Holy Mountain. Here, too, Greek, Bulgar, Vlach, and Serb hate and persecute
- ↑ The complete list in Gelzer, o.c. pp. 28–29; Silbernagl, pp. 53–54.
- ↑ There are 290 kellia and 11 sketai at Athos.
- ↑ An Aga is a small sort of governor.
- ↑ A metochion is a daughter-house or farm a long way off, administered by monks sent from the laura. It differs from a kellion in being a source of revenue to the parent-house.
