In the most remote area of Mount Athos, the ascetic monks of ‘Karoulia’ live like hermits having to climb tall, dangerous rocks to reach each other, often putting their lives in danger.
Karoulia is an isolated area of Mount Athos, located on the third peninsula of Chalkidiki in northern Greece. It is on the southernmost shore of Mount Athos on a rocky, steep site. The hermit monks have built their cells inside caves, holes, and rock protrusions.
The monks who live there belong to the Megistis Lavras Holy Monastery, one of the 17 Greek Orthodox monasteries of the Mount Athos cluster. The Monastery is located on a rock plateau of the Athos peninsula and is a one-and-a-half hour drive from Karyes. Those who choose to hike will need about seven hours to reach the destination.
Mount Athos is the oldest monastic community in the world with continuous Christian presence and monastic traditions dating back to at least the 8th century.
Today, there are 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries on Mount Athos, and the other three belong to the Russian, Serbian, and Bulgarian Orthodox Churches, respectively. In total, there are over two thousand monks there who live an ascetic life isolated from the rest of the world.
Women are not allowed within 500 meters (1,640 feet) from the shore, and even female animals are forbidden. It is believed that the presence of women will distract the monks, tempting them away from celibacy and generating impure thoughts.
Karoulia hosts ascetic monks who live in sixteen huts on the huge, vertical rocks that rise from the sea. Access to Karoulia is difficult, if not dangerous, and requires good climbing skills.
The area got its name from the pulleys (karoulia in Greek), which the hermits use to pull their baskets of supplies up to their alcove cells.
A hermit monk’s life on the edge of Mount Athos
Karoulia ascetic monks have dedicated their lives to Jesus Christ. They have denounced material goods and amenities of corporal life, staying away from temptations. The monks’ daily life is comprised of plenty of prayer to God, and they shy away from earthly comforts altogether. The hardships of life at Karoulia and the dedication of the monks to such a way of life is evidence of their devotion to God.
The Karoulia monks survive on very little food and drink rainwater collected in buckets and barrels. For sustenance, they leave out baskets hanging from pulleys into which other monks and fishermen place supplies, usually dried bread and olives. They eat just enough to survive.
The monks support themselves by painting holy icons and producing items such as woven baskets and rosaries that they exchange for supplies in Daphne, a port settlement that serves as the maritime point of entry to the Mount Athos monasteries.
Most of the ascetics’ time is truly spent in prayer. The services, usually held at night, are held in the monasteries and can last for up to six hours. One of the services begins at 2 a.m. and ends at 6 a.m., as the monks believe prayer is easier when the monastery is at its quietest.
Ascetics choose this life of isolation and simplicity to feel closer to God and keep themselves away from things that might distract them from their prayers.
Father Vassilios spoke to Greek Reporter about his calling and the harsh living conditions which, in reality, serve the purpose of allowing himself and the other monks to concentrate on prayer to God so that they may live a pure life physically, spiritually, and mentally.
He says that he and his brother, Dorotheos, were into wrestling but needed direction in life. His decision to choose the monastic life was, he felt, the intention of the Virgin Mary herself. Hence, the two brothers arrived to Mount Athos, where they were immediately embraced by the elder monks.
“When we came here, we felt the Fathers’ warm embrace from the beginning and we wanted to stay. It was the Virgin Mary’s wish,” he said. “She’s the one that guided me here.”
The harsh life at ‘Karoulia’ on Mount Athos
Father Vassilios said that the two brothers followed the Fathers’ program, including the liturgies, wakes, and all the rites of a cosmic monk. The Fathers treated them like his children. However, the most important thing, he says, is that the elder Fathers taught them how to fight temptation.
“The fight against temptation is the hardest battle for man. The Fathers taught us how to fight temptation and win,” he says.
Father Vassilios’ cell is in Karoulia, perched on a rock high above the sea. Karoulia is the hardest place to access in the entirety of Mount Athos. To get to the monastery or visit the cells of Father Vassilios’ brothers at Karoulia, he has to climb vertical cliffs, stepping on recesses and clefts of the rock. At certain points, chains nailed to the rocks are needed.
Father Vassilios’ stone cell is as spartan as the life of an ascetic monk dictates. “This is where the ascetics long before us lived,” he said. “It was a harsh, monastic life. One of them was living only on prickly pears for nine months. Another ascetic drank water with a little honey in it only on the weekends and nothing else. Their relics are over at the monastery.”
“Life here is hard; very rough I would say. We have trouble going up and down the rocks. And we have earthquakes and landslides that make things harder,” he explained.
For the ascetic monk, most hardships are due to bad weather and landslides. Part of the roof of his monastic cave cell in the rocks was damaged as a result of a landslide, and a fellow monk was even killed by an avalanche. “It was a horrible sight,” Father Vassilios says grievously.
Despite the hardships and adversities, Father Vassilios says the Virgin Mary looks over them and keeps them out of harm’s way. Meanwhile, the remote, inaccessible Karoulia keeps the ascetic monks grounded so that they may avoid earthly temptations.