Monastery of Megisti Lavra Takes Helm of Mount Athos Administration

orthodoxtimes.com and OCP News Service – 16/06/2025

Karyes – Mount Athos: In a ceremony described by monks as “with order and Athonite dignity,” the Holy Superintendence of Mount Athos formally changed hands on Saturday, June 14, 2025. The traditional event took place at the Holy Church of Protatos in Karyes, marking the annual transition of the monastic state’s governing body.

Elder Abraham from the Monastery of the Great Lavra assumed the role of chief overseer, taking over from the outgoing chief overseer, Symeon from Dionysiou Monastery. The new Holy Overseership is further composed of hieromonks Chariton from Dochiariou Monastery, Sisoes from Xenophontos Monastery, and Gabriel from Esphigmenou Monastery.

The ceremony was brief and modest, in keeping with Athonite tradition, as it is considered an internal administrative matter.

Several government officials and dignitaries were in attendance, including Yiannis Kefalogiannis, Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection; Konstantinos Gioulekas, Deputy Minister of Interior for Macedonia and Thrace and President of KEDAK; Stelios Angeloudis, Mayor of Thessaloniki and President of the Mount Athos Society; and Alkiviadis Stefanis, the Political Governor of Mount Athos, along with his deputy, Aristos Kasmiroglou. Dimitris Natsios, president of the “Niki” political party, was also present.

During a reception following the ceremony, discussions included the forthcoming visit of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to Mount Athos, tentatively scheduled for Friday, July 4. The Prime Minister is expected to spend 24 hours in the monastic state, intending to overnight at the guesthouse of the Holy Community in Karyes to meet with representatives from various monasteries. The finalization of his visit, however, remains dependent on developments in the Middle East.

The term of office for the Holy Guardianship is annual, and its members were set to hold their first meeting later the same afternoon to address procedural matters.

Source: orthodoxtimes.com