Latest news with #NorthernGreece
The Sun
25-05-2025
- The Sun
Huge sandy beach with ‘magical' blue lagoon named the best in Europe
AN extraordinary lagoon beach has been named among the most stunning and peaceful places in the Mediterranean. Port Glarokavos, on the Kassandra Peninsula in Northern Greece features is known for its bright a turquoise lagoon. 3 3 And it was named the best beach in Europe according to European Best Destinations. They said: "With its laid-back vibe and natural beauty, Port Glarokavos is not only one of the most beautiful beaches in Europe — it's also one of the most rejuvenating." Glarokavos attracts many visitors throughout the year looking to relax and immerse themselves in the Greek lifestyle. The lagoon boasts areas with umbrellas and sunbeds, as well as areas which are left bare for those wanting more quiet and privacy. There are also many different activities that take place at the beach including kayaking, paddleboarding and wildlife watching. The beach is conveniently surrounded by camping grounds in the nearby forest. Rather uniquely, those with their car can also drive directly onto the sand. Nearby and along the coast, are a number of other beaches - all with golden sands and clear waters. On Glarokavos Beach, for example, there are even a couple of beach bars, with deck chairs and tables in the sand. One tourist wrote: "There aren't many tourists and some days you can have a great view of Mount Athos from far away." The TUI guide to Crete from best beaches to passport rules Another said: "The view of the sea is magical." A little further in land are a number of restaurants and places to stay including the family-friendly Xenios Port Marina. The resort is in the village of Pefkohori and offers both all-inclusive and half-board. In Pefkohori, there are a number of pretty streets to explore with whitewashed houses, with citrus and olive groves littered between the buildings. In the summer, popular activities include snorkelling, parasailing, sunset watching and shopping for craft souvenirs. To get to the lagoon from the UK, the best option is to fly to Thessaloniki International Airport and then drive to Port Glarokavos, which takes around an hour. Also in Greece is a pretty European 'floating village' with quiet beaches and a picturesque port. Plus, one of the cheapest Greek islands is set to be popular, as TUI adds more hotels. 3
The Independent
23-05-2025
- The Independent
Greek monk hospitalized after monastery clash linked to decades-old dispute
An Orthodox Christian monk was hospitalized following a violent confrontation at a monastic sanctuary in northern Greece, authorities said Friday. The incident is tied to a decades-old religious dispute. Hospital officials said the monk is being treated in Thessaloniki for cuts and bruises to his face and upper body, after being transferred from Mount Athos, located about 175 kilometers (110 miles) to the east. Mount Athos is a self-governed monastic territory in Greece, home to centuries-old monasteries where monks live in devotion to prayer and spiritual life. Women are banned from entering the area. At the center of the ongoing conflict is Esphigmenou Monastery, whose brotherhood continues to defy court and church orders to vacate the premises. They refuse to recognize authority over them by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the spiritual home of the Eastern Orthodox Church based in Istanbul, Turkey. This religious rift has led to repeated violent clashes, legal battles, and supply blockades between members of the defiant brotherhood and church-appointed replacements. The controversy, which began in the early 1970s, was compounded by court decisions against the rebel monks, who are sustained by donations from outside groups of supporters. According to monastic authorities, the latest incident occurred late Thursday, when a monk from the officially recognized brotherhood was attacked by rivals wielding gardening tools during routine groundskeeping work at an administrative building. Father Bartholomew, abbot of the new brotherhood, told The Associated Press that the young monk sustained facial and rib injuries from punches and blows with a wooden object. He added that a description of the alleged attacker was provided to police and that a Thessaloniki public prosecutor had also been formally notified. 'What is the point of having these decisions (to expel the monks) if they are not enforced? They must be implemented,' Bartholomew said. In an online statement, the breakaway brotherhood denied the accusations. 'It is a well-known tactic for these perpetrators to play the victims," it said. "They feigned injury in a performance worthy of an acting class.'
The Independent
14-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Meet the Mount Athos monks living at Simonos Petra monastery in northern Greece
Mount Athos, a verdant peninsula in northern Greece, has been a center of Christian Orthodox monasticism for more than 1,000 years. The all-male autonomous community, known in Greek as Agion Oros, or Holy Mountain, is no stranger to non-Greeks. Of its 20 monasteries, one is Russian, one is Bulgarian and one is Serbian, and the presence of monks from other nations is not unusual. But it is in one monastery — Simonos Petra — that the greatest range of nationalities reside. Here is a look at four of Simonos Petra's monks, and how they view Mount Athos: Archimandrite Eliseos, 74: Greek Abbot of Simonos Petra since 2000, Eliseos has been living in the monastery since 1973. On Mount Athos: 'Truly Mount Athos spiritually has no borders. It is a place, a center of Christian monasticism. Not just now, since a long time ago. And it has the name Agion Oros (Holy Mountain). And indeed, spiritually we cannot say it has borders. And this is proven through its survival through the centuries, that Mount Athos … has a sacred mission to unite people in peaceful coexistence, where between them there will be true relationships, love and harmonious cooperation.' Father Isaiah, 50: Chinese, born in Vietnam Isaiah has been living in Simonos Petra since 2006, arriving there from an affiliated monastery in France as part of a spiritual quest. On what brought him to Mount Athos: 'It was in essence a deep searching of spiritual life, which is the answer for the meaning of life. And I have searched for that since my youth. Because I am a diaspora Chinese and I left Vietnam where I was born as a refugee and then we were accepted with my family in Switzerland and I grew up there. And in that Swiss environment, I was trying to understand what I'm doing, where I'm going, what is the meaning of life. And in searching, I found some answers through virtue, and this virtue was connected with the face of Orthodoxy.' Father Makarios, 73: French Makarios has been living in Simonos Petra since 1979, after beginning a spiritual quest triggered by the 1968 student uprisings in Paris. On what brought him to Mount Athos: 'Initially it is the search for truth. I am of the generation of 1968 in Paris, where everyone was thinking of revolution, of political revolution. With some friends, we felt that the problem the young people had back then was not political, that it was spiritual, that our society had forgotten the meaning of tradition, of the holiness of God. … I found in an intellectual search that in the end, fulfillment, the fulfilment of truth, is in Christianity, but in the initial Christianity, in the fathers of the Church, in the Apostles. And while searching, I found that this was not just a reference, a nostalgia of the past, but that it exists, it lives in the Orthodox Church.' Father Serafeim, 46: Syrian-Lebanese Serafeim has been living in Simonos Petra since 2010. On what Mount Athos means to him: 'The Holy Mountain is a place, I'd say, where you truly find spiritual peace. You see, monasticism has always sought peaceful places to find itself and thus to seek God. The Holy Mountain is primarily a place which for many centuries has kept this character.' ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Associated Press
14-05-2025
- General
- Associated Press
Meet the Mount Athos monks living at Simonos Petra monastery in northern Greece
MOUNT ATHOS, Greece (AP) — Mount Athos, a verdant peninsula in northern Greece, has been a center of Christian Orthodox monasticism for more than 1,000 years. The all-male autonomous community, known in Greek as Agion Oros, or Holy Mountain, is no stranger to non-Greeks. Of its 20 monasteries, one is Russian, one is Bulgarian and one is Serbian, and the presence of monks from other nations is not unusual. But it is in one monastery — Simonos Petra — that the greatest range of nationalities reside. Here is a look at four of Simonos Petra's monks, and how they view Mount Athos: Archimandrite Eliseos, 74: Greek Abbot of Simonos Petra since 2000, Eliseos has been living in the monastery since 1973. On Mount Athos: 'Truly Mount Athos spiritually has no borders. It is a place, a center of Christian monasticism. Not just now, since a long time ago. And it has the name Agion Oros (Holy Mountain). And indeed, spiritually we cannot say it has borders. And this is proven through its survival through the centuries, that Mount Athos … has a sacred mission to unite people in peaceful coexistence, where between them there will be true relationships, love and harmonious cooperation.' Father Isaiah, 50: Chinese, born in Vietnam Isaiah has been living in Simonos Petra since 2006, arriving there from an affiliated monastery in France as part of a spiritual quest. On what brought him to Mount Athos: 'It was in essence a deep searching of spiritual life, which is the answer for the meaning of life. And I have searched for that since my youth. Because I am a diaspora Chinese and I left Vietnam where I was born as a refugee and then we were accepted with my family in Switzerland and I grew up there. And in that Swiss environment, I was trying to understand what I'm doing, where I'm going, what is the meaning of life. And in searching, I found some answers through virtue, and this virtue was connected with the face of Orthodoxy.' Father Makarios, 73: French Makarios has been living in Simonos Petra since 1979, after beginning a spiritual quest triggered by the 1968 student uprisings in Paris. On what brought him to Mount Athos: 'Initially it is the search for truth. I am of the generation of 1968 in Paris, where everyone was thinking of revolution, of political revolution. With some friends, we felt that the problem the young people had back then was not political, that it was spiritual, that our society had forgotten the meaning of tradition, of the holiness of God. … I found in an intellectual search that in the end, fulfillment, the fulfilment of truth, is in Christianity, but in the initial Christianity, in the fathers of the Church, in the Apostles. And while searching, I found that this was not just a reference, a nostalgia of the past, but that it exists, it lives in the Orthodox Church.' Father Serafeim, 46: Syrian-Lebanese Serafeim has been living in Simonos Petra since 2010. On what Mount Athos means to him: 'The Holy Mountain is a place, I'd say, where you truly find spiritual peace. You see, monasticism has always sought peaceful places to find itself and thus to seek God. The Holy Mountain is primarily a place which for many centuries has kept this character.' ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
