Book Description

The collection of narratives entitled Anamnēsis Merikē peri tou Hagiou Orous Athō, ta legomena Patria dates from the early 16th century. It comprises five separate legends that recount miracles related to the distinct relationship between the Theotokos and Mount Athos, the foundation of Vatopediou and Zographou monasteries, the arrival of the miraculous icons of the Theotokos Portaitissa at Iviron monastery and Saint George at Zographou monastery, as well as the dedication of the katholikon of Xeropotamou monastery to the Forty Martyrs of Sebasteia. Preserved in numerous manuscripts from the 16th up until the 19th century, this collection represents the earliest known attempt to relate a past the main focus point of which are the miracles that establish Mount Athos and its monasteries as a sacred space. Although the texts are not historiographical in a strict sense, they nonetheless constitute an important tool for understanding the development of collective memory among the Athonite monks, offering insight into the older medieval oral legends of the peninsula. This book marks the first attempt to study the Athonite narrative tradition within the broader framework of the formation of collective memory in Orthodox monasticism and the emergence of sacred spaces during the transition from the Middle Ages to the Early Modern era.