Fortress. Ascesis. Courage - that's how you could describe the austere monastery of Dionysiat.
To the strict ascetic life of this monastery many monasteries of the Holy Mount Athos are equal. Here there are prophetic frescoes of the 17th century, depicting terrible pictures of wars of the 20th century and weapons not yet known to mankind. You can see them only with your eyes, you can't take pictures or photos of the frescos.
This astonishing monastery is situated in the south-western part of the peninsula, not far from Daphne Wharf. The view is austere, austere, unapproachable - just what the ascetic needs. To climb here is a matter of honor, the monastery is one of the most difficult to access on Athos. But everyone who decides to climb to Dionysat will be given a truly wonderful view: the monastery stands ascetic on a fairly narrow and steep strip of rock, very compactly placed its buildings. It is always dark in the main temple, as all the buildings stand in such a way that there is no inner courtyard in the monastery, nor the fial (bowl for the consecration of water), which is usual for the Svyatogorsk monastery, standing in the middle of it.
There are a lot of unusual things in the monastery. The main relic of the monastery is the icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, with which in 686, according to tradition, the inhabitants of Constantinople besieged by the ancestors of the Rosses made a procession around the city. As is well known, the enemies fled, and the defenders of the city thanked the Mother of God for their salvation, and soon an Akathist to the Mother of God was written and read before this icon, which has the refrain "Hail Mary the Bridegroom". The icon was written in the ancient technique of encaustic - using wax - and is called "Hail to the Mother of God. It is kept in the paraklis (small temple) of Our Lady of the Akathist. Altogether in the monastery there are 14 small temples and chapels, 7 cells and, of course, the main Cathedral. Kafolikon, as the Greeks call it, is dedicated to the Nativity of John the Baptist, it was built and painted with frescoes in 1537 - 1547, besides them, the church keeps many miracle-working icons. The frescoes are amazing, as in many temples on Mount Athos, painted by representatives of the Cretan school. The painter Georgi (Tzordzis) worked here. He was one of the brightest representatives of the Cretan school of Theophanes. The refectory is also painted, there is a beautifully carved door leading to it. But the greatest impression is made by the 16th century frescoes of the revelation of John the Evangelist, and besides, there are even frescoes of the consequences of the atomic explosion. So "come and see".
In the beautiful library, which keeps many manuscripts and old prints, there is the famous chair on which the Venerable Nicodemus Svyatogorets worked and arranged manuscripts. There is also the Codex Dionysius, this manuscript is over 1,100 years old! But of course, the monastery is not named after this unique monument. The monastery was named after its founder, the Venerable Dionysius of Kastoria. This devotee initially built the monastery without relying on anyone's support, coming here with only two assistants. However, when he lacked strength and resources, God did not fail to support him by His mercy - the monastery received support from the emperor Alexius III Comnenus. That is why Dionisiatus had several names - "New Rock" (Nea Petra), "monastery of Cyrus Dionysias", "monastery of the Great Comnenus (Megalo Comnenus). In 1389 Dionysias was officially called "Patriarchal", a title bestowed by Patriarch Anthony IV. After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the monastery was supported by the rulers of Wallachia. However, besides the troubles that came with the rule of the Ottoman Empire, there were other troubles - in 1535 the monastery was completely destroyed by fire. But God did not leave his ascetics - the monastery was soon restored with the help of ruler John Petro. Since then, there were no fires... There were earthquakes in 1585 and 1765, and abundant snowfall in 1600. Many troubles and difficulties were also caused by the rough water flowing down from the mountains in the spring and during the periods of heavy rainfall.
But benefactors tirelessly revived and supported the Dionysiat. Truly, the ways of the Lord are inscrutable... The Austrian ambassador to Constantinople John Frangopoulos (1800) spent his last days in this monastery, leaving him his great fortune.
From the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries to the present day, Dionisiat stands on the fifth line in the hierarchy of Sviatogorsk monasteries. About 50 monks live in the monastery permanently. In the XX century there lived here many remarkable ascetics: the author of the Athonite "Lavsaic" and many other works by Fr. Gabriel, Fr. Charalampios, Fr. Theoclitus of Dionysias. Father Theoclitus is known for his many works, this Greek ascetic was very fond of Russian culture, and his cell has been preserved.
The monastery, standing on a steep cliff, was built on the spot that God had indicated to the Monk Dionysios as a pillar of light. In spite of the poorly illuminated catholicon of sunlight, this abode of light will fill all those who courageously dare to visit it with joy and quiet soulful light.
