Mount Athos, Greece

St Dionysius Monastery, Mount Athos, Greece
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:07Athos_St_Dionysius02.jpg
Author: Fingalo


Mount Athos is one of the two World Heritage Sites in Greece that were inscribed in the mixed category. It is the name of the mountain located on a peninsula of the same name, in Greek Macedonia. The name, translated from the Greek Agion Oros, means "Holy Mountain" for it is home to some twenty Eastern Orthodox monasteries. There are some 1,400 monks still living there.

The peninsula on which Mount Athos is located protrudes into the Aegean Sea. It has a length of some 60 kilometers and a width of between 7 to 12 kilometers. Mount Athos itself reaches a height of 2,033 meters (6,670 feet).

The monasteries on Mount Athos are influential in Eastern Orthodox faith. Its style of painting also had an influence on the history of Orthodox art.

Mount Athos was inscribed as a World Heritage Site during the 12th session of the World Heritage Committee meeting in Brasilia, Brazil, on 5 - 9 December, 1988.

World Heritage Site Inscription Details

Location: N 40 16 0.012 E 24 13 0.012
Inscription Year: 1988
Type of Site: Mixed
Inscription Criteria: I, II, IV, V, VI, VII

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