Clinging to a Greek cliff, this monastery welcomes people from around the world. No women allowed

By COSTAS KANTOURIS MOUNT ATHOS Greece AP The medieval monastery clings almost impossibly to sheer cliffs high above the shimmering turquoise of the Aegean Sea Rising from the rugged granite rock its walls enclose a diverse Christian Orthodox region The Monastery of Simonos Petra also known as Simonopetra or Simon s Rock transcends country-based branches of the Christian faith embracing monks from across the world including converts from nations where Orthodox Christianity is not the prevailing religion The monastery is one of in the autonomous all-male monastic population of Mount Athos known in Greek as Agion Oros or Holy Mountain The peninsula in northern Greece is no stranger to non-Greeks of the monasteries one is Russian one is Bulgarian and one is Serbian and the presence of monks from other nations is not remarkable But Simonos Petra has the greatest range of nationalities Simonopetra or the Simonos Petra Monastery home of the all-male autonomous neighborhood Agion Oros or Holy Mountain stands on the peninsula of Mount Athos in northern Greece Sunday April AP Photo Thanassis Stavrakis Spirituality transcends borders Spiritually there are no borders because the Holy Mountain has an ecumenical nature seeking to embrace all disclosed Archimandrite Eliseos the abbot of Simonos Petra This links back to the Byzantine Empire he explained We say that Byzantium was a commonwealth in which different peoples lived together in the same faith The monastery welcomes anyone who would like to visit provided they are male In a more than -year-old tradition women are banned from the entire peninsula which is deemed the Virgin Mary s domain While men from other faiths can spend a minimal days at Mount Athos as visitors only Orthodox men can become monks Preponderance of Simonos Petra s monks hail from European countries where Orthodoxy is the predominant religion such as Romania Serbia Russia Moldova Cyprus and Greece But there are others from China Germany Hungary the United States Australia France Lebanon and Syria Founded in the th century by Saint Simon the Myrrh-bearer the seven-story Simonos Petra is considered an audacious marvel of Byzantine architecture Renowned for its ecclesiastical choir the monastery has become a symbol of resilience during its long history recovering from three destructive fires the largest part latest in the late s to embrace global Orthodoxy Monks pray during the afternoon liturgy at the Simonopetra or Simonos Petra Monastery home of the all-male autonomous society Agion Oros or Holy Mountain on the peninsula of Mount Athos in northern Greece Monday April AP Photo Thanassis Stavrakis A lifelong quest It was within these walls nearly years ago that Father Isaiah who like other monks goes by one name unveiled the answer to a lifelong spiritual quest that had spanned half the globe Born in Vietnam to Chinese parents the now -year-old monk grew up in Switzerland where his family moved when he was a child In this Swiss circumstances I was trying to understand what I m doing where I m going what is the meaning of life he explained on a up-to-date morning standing on a fifth-floor balcony next to a winch used to bring supplies up in wicker baskets from the monastery s storerooms While searching I detected several answers through virtue and this virtue was connected to the image of Orthodoxy he explained his fluent Greek bearing a hint of a foreign accent Delving into this new faith he located relationships based on love and a search for God he announced His quest led him to an Orthodox monastery in France affiliated with Simonos Petra That in turn led him to Mount Athos in It was in essence a deep searching of spiritual life which is the answer for the meaning of life he commented Within the monastery he discovered a brotherhood of monks from countries He decided to stay We gather together with chosen principles which are those of love towards our neighbor and the love for God Isaiah reported In the human and spiritual connections he experienced in Simonos Petras I ascertained a deep answer to everything I had been seeking in my youth Father Serafeim lights a candle inside an ossuary where the shelves are full of the skulls of the deceased monks of the Simonopetra or Simonos Petra Monastery home of the all-male autonomous locality of Agion Oros or Holy Mountain on the peninsula of Mount Athos in northern Greece Monday April AP Photo Thanassis Stavrakis Monastery life Life in the monastery and across Mount Athos has changed little in the more than years of religious presence there Days begin long before dawn and are punctuated by prayer services followed by daily tasks which can include farming carpentry winemaking cooking art clerical and ecclesiastical work Set among forested slopes nearly every inch of Simonos Petra s land is cultivated with the monks tending to herbs fruit and vegetables used in the monastery s kitchen Electricity comes from sustainable sources such as solar panels Father Makarios shows a map depicting the Simonopetra or the Simonos Petra Monastery home of the all-male autonomous area Agion Oros or Holy Mountain on the peninsula of Mount Athos in northern Greece Monday April AP Photo Thanassis Stavrakis Embracing foreigners Father Serafeim a Lebanese-Syrian who has lived in the monastery since noted Eliseos and his predecessor as abbot the Elder Emilianos had perpetually embraced foreigners You don t feel that you re a stranger you feel from the start that you re an equal member of the brotherhood mentioned Serafeim who joined the monastic region seven years after he first arrived in Greece to analysis theology in the northern city of Thessaloniki Related Articles Across Florida in days A high-adventure bike ride from coast to coast Sleeping like royalty Castle stays are growing in popularity The hottest amenity coming to an airport near you is a rooftop bar It s the end of cheap flying as Americans tire of budget airlines Bed breakfasts are making a comeback and here are particular of the best towns to find them This spirit this open spirit of the elder attracted countless souls who were searching for a genuine emphatic meaning of life he declared One of the oldest non-Greek monks in the monastery is Father Makarios The Frenchman s spiritual quest began in May when as a young man he experienced first-hand the social uprising sparked by pupil demonstrations in Paris His search led him to Mount Athos for the first time in I determined this monastery and an embrace he commented I identified people who understood and accepted me They didn t judge me It was very easy for me to decide that in the end after I finish my studies I will come to Mount Athos I will try to see if I can become a monk Converting from Catholicism to Orthodoxy on Mount Athos Makarios is now the monastery s librarian He has been living in Simonos Petra for years All men are welcome Eliseos the abbot stresses his monastery is open to all visitors We say we are open to people with love he says Someone comes along and wants to visit Mount Athos he visits it Does he want to take it further We say Let s discuss it with your will What does he want Does he want to participate in this life does he want to enter into our spirit embrace our values and our faith We will accept that We will not discriminate Associated Press religion coverage receives help through the AP s collaboration with The Conversation US with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc The AP is solely responsible for this content