Áthos - Monasteries

In recent years there has been a tendency to return to the stricter coenobitic system. At present 16 of the 20 monasteries are coenobitic - Esphigménou, Stavronikíta, Philotheoú, Karakalloú and the Great Lavra on the north-east coast, Koutloumousíou in the center of the peninsula and Zográphou, Konstamonítou, Dochiaríou, Xenophontos, Panteleímonos, Xeropotámou, Símonos Pétra, Grigoríou, Dionysíou and Pávlou on the southwest coast. The other four, all on the northeast coast, are idiorrhythmic - Chilandári, Vatopédi, Pantokrátoros and Ivíron. In addition to the 20 great monasteries there are several monastic villages, kellía occupied by "families" of three monks and, particularly on the steep south coast of the peninsula, small isolated hermitages. Most of the monks are Greek, but the other Orthodox nations are also represented - Russians in Panteleímonos, Bulgarians in Zográphou, Yugoslavs in Chilandári. Although political conditions have led to an aging in the population of the Russian monastery, there has been an influx of young monks into some of the other houses in recent years. The affairs of the monastic republic as a whole are managed by the Sacred Council (Iera Epistasía) which meets in the village of Karyés; its members are appointed by the monasteries for a year at a time.