Timios Prodromos Iviron Skete
The Holy Skete of Saint John the Baptist is one of the 12 sketes of Mount Athos. It is located 30 minutes from the main Iviron Monastery, on the slopes of two hills at an altitude of 250 meters.
The history of the Skete begins in the 10th century, when there was a Georgian monastery on its site. This monastery was destroyed by the Catalans. The Skete began to develop dynamically in the 16th century, with the settlement of Saint James the New.
The quiet location of the Skete attracted many ascetics, including the neo-martyrs James and Dionysius, disciples of Saint James, as well as Procopius, Euthymius, Ignatius, Akakios, and Onuphrius.
During the period of the hesychast controversies, the Skete became an important hesychast center. Here Saint Athanasius, Patriarch of Constantinople, also had his ascetic hermitage.
In the 18th century, the Skete was officially organized into a skete, with the approval of Ecumenical Patriarch Seraphim I. In 1779, the katholikon of the Skete was built, which was painted 20 years later.
Other buildings of the Skete, dating back to the 18th century, are those around the katholikon, as well as the semi-ruined church founded by Saint James.
In the early 1980s, the Skete had 13 kalyvas with 33 monks. Today, it has 5 kalyvas with 10 monks.
The Skete of Saint John the Baptist is a quiet and serene place where the monks devote themselves to prayer and asceticism. The katholikon of the Skete has been renovated and is open to pilgrims.
The Skete is accessible on foot or by taxi from Karyes.
