How the Mount Athos monasteries prospered for centuries
By Alice Isabella Sullivan
Mount Athos the peninsula in Greece that is home to one of the oldest Eastern Christian monastic communities has received support from an array of patrons over the course of its long history. This patronage of Athos ensured the autonomous continuity and prosperity of the monasteries and accorded with the royal aspirations of those rulers who extended the gifts and donations.
From the Middle Ages to the present, monastic life on Mount Athos has unfolded in 20 main monasteries, some with a history that dates to the tenth century. The Protaton, the oldest church on Athos, was built during the first half of the tenth century and served as the major church in Karyes the seat of clerical and secular administration on Athos that regularly gathers delegates from each of the monasteries. The Great Lavra Monastery was founded in 963. The plan of its main church (or
Medieval Fortifications in the Balkans
By Alice Isabella Sullivan
Fortified locals are prominent features of the Eastern European landscape. Throughout the Middle Ages, the regions of the Balkan Peninsula were caught at the crossroads of competing worldviews and defensive architecture became an important mechanism through which to ensure the protection of secular and religious sites.
Medieval cities regularly received surrounding enclosures. Constantinople is a prime example. Its massive fortifications resisted besiegers for more than a thousand years. Thessaloniki – a prominent city in the Balkans, established by King Cassander of Macedon (r. 305-297 B.C.) – featured imposing fortifications like those of the Byzantine capital. Although the architectural record of Thessaloniki from this period is difficult to establish, the walls of the city were impressive. They extended for about 8 kilometres, and were reconstructed between 380s and mid-400s. This project corresponds roughly