Russian Monk Arrested in Greece for Living Illegally on Mount Athos

The Mount Athos monastery of Saint Panteleimon, besides known arsenic the ”Rossikon” meaning the ”Russian”. Credit: kremlin.ru, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

A Russian monk surviving successful the Mount Athos monastic assemblage has been arrested for residing illegally successful Greece implicit the past 3 years. Authorities accidental the monk had been staying astatine the Monastery of Saint Panteleimon, besides known arsenic the Russian Monastery of Mount Athos.

He was detained astatine Thessaloniki airdrome portion attempting to question to Istanbul with a last destination successful Moscow. Airport officials discovered that helium lacked valid question documents proving his ineligible enactment successful Greece.

According to constabulary sources, the monk had archetypal entered Greece successful aboriginal 2022 with a two-month residence permit. When it expired, helium obtained a three-day introduction licence for Mount Athos but ne'er left. He reportedly remained determination for much than 3 years.

“I intended to instrumentality to my state successful 2022, but I couldn’t find a ticket,” helium told the tribunal during his statement. “I’ve been surviving astatine the Monastery of Saint Panteleimon each these years. I conscionable privation to spell location now,” helium added, claiming helium was unaware that helium had committed an offense. “I thought I would conscionable wage a fine,” helium said.

The Misdemeanor Court of Thessaloniki recovered him blameworthy nether Greece’s new migration law, sentencing him to 2 years successful situation and a €5,000 fine, without suspension oregon conversion to a monetary penalty.

However, nether Greek law, the condemnation is not enforced if the convicted idiosyncratic voluntarily agrees to instrumentality to their country. The monk confirmed successful tribunal that helium wished to repatriate immediately.

Mount Athos: The Monastic Community successful Greece Where Time Stands Still

Mount Athos, referred to successful Greek arsenic the “Holy Mountain”, is 1 of the astir important centers of the Christian Orthodox world.

Home to 20 monasteries nether the nonstop jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, it is governed arsenic an autonomous authorities wrong the Greek Republic.

The archetypal monks arrived connected Mt. Athos successful the ninth century. Today, implicit 2 1000 monks from Greece and galore different countries, including Romania, Moldova, Georgia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Russia, and the United States, unrecorded an ascetic beingness connected Athos, isolated from the remainder of the world.

There is simply a prohibition connected introduction for women, called avaton (Άβατον) successful Greek, to marque surviving successful celibacy easier for the men who person chosen to bash so.

A 1903 photograph of a pistillate connected Mount Athos, which was published successful a Greek paper astatine that time, inactive remains a mystery, with immoderate monks claiming that they judge the chartless pistillate connected the near was the Virgin Mary herself.

To immoderate outsiders, the elemental communal beingness of the monks whitethorn look archaic. But for the men who person chosen to unrecorded there, it is simply a peaceful, and adjacent blissful, existence.