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Monk Chariton of Karoulia

The Holy Monastery of Xenophontos

5 May 2011

The monastery was founded towards the end of the 10th century by St Xenophon, apparently with funds supplied by Basil II. At the end of the 18th century the walls were extended, tripling the area covered by the monastery. The old katholikon was built around the year 1000, and both this church and the new katholikon are dedicated to St George. The main body of the old katholikon as frescoed by Antonios in 1544, the lite by a certain Theophanes in 1564, and the exonarthex in 1637. The chapel of St Demetrios dates from the 14th century, as do its wall-paintings. The refectory was frescoed in 1496. The new katholikon was built between 1817 and 1837, and is considered the largest katholikon on Mount Athos. Notable among the monastery’s many relics are the two large mosaic icons of St George and St Demetrios and a small icon of the Transfiguration in steatite. The monastery has jurisdiction over the skete of the Annunciation, the so-called “Xenophontini” skete.


Source: Monk Chariton, Images of Athos, 3rd edition, Mount Athos, 2007

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