Vatopedi monastery
The Monastery of Vatopedi (Greek Βατοπέδι or Βατοπαίδι, also Vatopaidion paraphrased ) is situated on Mount Athos. Between 1999 and 2007 there were 50 to 80 monks in the monastery. In the hierarchical ranking of the Athos monasteries of Vatopedi today occupies the second place. It is considered the richest of the Athos monasteries.
History
Implausible is the report of a foundation by Emperor Theodosius I, probably the true version, at the suggestion of Athanasios Athonites had three archontes from Adrian Opel - Athanasios, Nicholas and Antonio's - a ruined monastery restored ( to 972). The first documentary evidence dates from the year 985: on a document of the protos for the Iviron has the hegoumenos Nicholas signed as a witness still in last place. 996 was the hegoumenos Nikephoros already put in second place his signature - Vatopedi and Iviron followed equal in the hierarchy behind the Great Laura.
Through donations Emperor Andronikos II 1292 Vatopedi was one of the great landowners, later promoted as the Bulgarian Tsar and Serbian kings, the monastery, had been used in the late 12th century, the influx of Slavonic monks.
In his early years was Gregory Palamas monk in Vatopedi, and Sava of Serbia before the monastery Hilandar was founded.
Building and library collection
The monastery has the appearance of a fortress, the buildings date from various periods.
The library owns approximately 600 manuscripts from the Byzantine period, including rare works of Claudius Ptolemy, Strabo and Pausanias, but also illuminated Psalter and the fragment of a richly illuminated Octateuch.
Among the most famous manuscripts in the library belongs to the Codex Vatopedinus 602, a native of the 13th century parchment folio, 469 leaves and 164 images. It is a Octateuch, beginning with the Book of Leviticus and ends with the book of Ruth. Inspired by the Bible text illustrations provide a synthesis of ancient, early and Middle Byzantine picture elements dar. There may be two artistic personalities who worked at the plant, are divorced.
Real estate scandal
The monastery and its originally from Cyprus Archimandrite Ephraim were the focus of a real estate scandal that rocked the government of Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis harshly. The main point in the scandal surrounding controversial real estate transactions between the Greek State and the monastery was the Vistonida lake. The lake had been the monastery allegedly bequeathed nearly 1,000 years ago by the Byzantine emperors. Although the claims of ownership of the monastery were in dispute, they were recognized by the state. In exchange for the lake with its entire water surface and all the shore land the monastery received 260 high-value land in the developed tourism areas, even in the Olympic village in Athens, some of which immediately resold it at a profit. "You have the state of the lake - that is 'air' sold - and it get valuable offices, land and building in Athens to exchange " criticized the opposition.
The State has been the damage that is caused by the fact that the space occupied by the monastery lakeside plots strongly overvalued exchange and state land was undervalued, is estimated at 100 million euros. The real estate scandal has already led to the resignation of those involved in the real estate business Handelsmarineminsters Giorgos Voulgarakis. Two prosecutors resigned because they had been obstructed by the government in its investigation work under heavy fire of the opposition also got the government spokesman Minister of State Theodoros Rousopoulos, a friend of Archimandrite Ephraim, and at the same time close confidant of Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis; Rousopoulos resigned on October 23, 2008.
On 25 December 2011, the Archimandrite was arrested by the Greek police; A few days later he was transferred to the high security prison Korydallos near Athens. On March 30, 2012, he was released after payment of a deposit and returned to the monastery.
Swell
- Jacques Bompaire, Actes de Vatopedi. . Des origines a 1329 text and illustrated volume, Paris 2001 ( Archives de l' Athos; 21) ISBN 2-283-60421-4
- Lefort, Jacques, Actes de Vatopedi. . De 1330 à 1376 text and illustrated volume, Paris 2006 (Archives de l' Athos; 22) ISBN 2-283-60462-1
- Georgios Salakides, Sultan deeds of Athos Vatopedi monastery from the time Bayezid II and Selim I. Critical Edition and scholarly commentary. Thessaloniki 1995 ISBN 960-7387-08-2
- Sophronius Eustratiades; Arcadius, Catalogue of the Greek manuscripts in the library of the monastery of Vatopedi on mt. Athos. Cambridge, Mass.. 1924 ( reprint 1969) ( Harvard theological studies; 11. )
- Erich Lamberz; Euthymius K. Litsas, Katalogos cheirographon tēs batopedinēs Skētēs Hagiu Demetriu. Thessaloniki 1978 ( PST: Catalogue of the manuscripts of the Skete of St. Demetrius, Vatopedi )
- Kada, Soteres N., Ta sēmeiōmata TON cheirographōn tēs Ieras Megistēs Mones Batopaidiu. Agion Oros 2000 ISBN 960 - 7735-17 -X