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Koutloumousiou Monastery

Koutloumousiou monastery is located in the northeast of Mt. Athos, a ten minute walk away from Karyes.  It borders with hills and forests in the south and west, whereas a wonderful valley with orchards and vineyards encircles in the east and north.   Many centuries ago, a small brotherhood celebrating the Transfiguration of Jesus occupied these lands. The Byzantine emperor Alexius Comnenus founded the existing monastery in the 12th century. 

Koutloumousiou monastery was demolished by barbarians and recovered by Wallachian rulers and dukes. However, during the 19th century Greek revolution, it sustained much damage similar to other Mt. Athos monasteries. Subsequently, it suffered greatly from fire.

The monastery is quadrilateral in shape, with the pentagonal catholicon devoted to the Transfiguration of the Christ in the center.  The catholicon is wonderfully ornamented with a gold plated iconstasis in woodcut. Each floor within the temple is covered with marble plates.  The temple was completed in 1540. Frescoes originating from that period have been preserved.   In 1773, the temple was expanded to honor Our Lady Akathist, which is one of the most renowned icons of the monastery.

The icon is encircled with all the prophets and an entire akathist.  Matthew, the Patriarch of Alexandria is buried in the northern side of the courtyard. Matthew, who died in 1775, was among the monastery's brethren.   The bell tower was built in 1808.  A ten-pillared white marble phial (cup) was constructed in the monastery's vicinity.  There are 4 chapels in the monastery, besides the catholicon.

Besides the wonder-working icon of Our Lady, the monastery possesses the following treasures:

a fragment of the True Cross, Great Martyr Eustathius's hand, piece of Saint Anne's left foot, relics of St. Cyriacus, Eustathios Placidus, St.   Alypius the Stylite's head, hands of St.  Charalampus and St.Gregory, fragments of heads of St. Eleftherios and St. Parascheva and of St. Panteleimon.

Koutloumousiou monastery also includes St. Gregory's cell, where Cyprian took his monastic vows. He was beheaded by the Turks in 1679 in Constantinople under accusations of spreading Christianity and debunking the Islamic myth.

Due to the vicinity of Karyes, it became customary to bring the Axion Estin icon from the Protata church to Koutloumousiou on Holy Monday for consecration.
In the evening of the same day, the evening service is conducted in the Protata monastery by the Koutloumousiou monks.

The library contains over 600 samples of ancient manuscripts and over 3500 books.

St. Panteleimon's skete, founded in 1785 and another 18 cells in Karyes's vicinity are located beneath the monastery.

Koutloumousiou occupies the 6th place in the Mt. Athos hierarchy.
Approximately 60 monks live in the monastery, whereas another 25 live outside its grounds.