Mount Athos, or “Holy Mountain” is the center of Eastern Orthodox Monasticism and is only accessible by boat. The mount is also called “Garden of the Virgin” and houses 20 monasteries who follow the coenobitic way of life.
The monasteries possess enormous amount of medieval-aged treasures such as icons, relics and liturgical vestments. The most daring monastery is probably the holy monastery of Simonos Petra which is build at a height of 330 meters on the end of a rocky mountain range. The entrance to Mount Athos is prohibited to women and males must have been issued a visa before visiting. The visa is available upon application from the Pilgrim's Bureau in Thessaloniki and Orthodox Christians take precedence in the permit procedure. The monasteries are land-linked but are only accessible by ferries which also require reservation due to the large amount of visitors.
