Saint Grigoriou Monastery of Mount Athos
Holy Places of Orthodoxy · Mount Athos
On the south-west coast of the Holy Mountain, St. Grigoriou Monastery sits low on the rocks beside the sea, its church dedicated to St Nicholas the Wonderworker. It also guards the relics of St Anastasia the Roman, whom the monks call on as a healer.
In short Founded in the 14th century by St Gregory, St. Grigoriou keeps the feast of its patron, St Nicholas, on 6 December. Here are its story, its treasures and how to visit with reverence.
At a glance
- Location
- South-west coast of Athos, between Simonopetra and Dionysiou (Ιερά Μονή Οσίου Γρηγορίου)
- Founded
- 14th century by St Gregory, a hesychast monk born in Serbia
- Dedication
- St Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia
- Feast day
- St Nicholas, 6 December
- Rank
- Seventeenth of the twenty ruling monasteries; a Greek, cenobitic brotherhood
- Jurisdiction
- Self-governed Mount Athos, under the spiritual jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate
- Treasures
- Relics of St Anastasia the Roman; frescoes of 1779; Athos UNESCO-listed (1988)
Where is St. Grigoriou Monastery, and how did it begin?
St. Grigoriou stands just above the water on the south-west coast of Athos, the easternmost “finger” of Chalkidiki, a short way south of the port of Dafni. Its neighbours are two other monasteries of the cliffs, Simonopetra to the north and Dionysiou to the south.
Its founder, St Gregory, was a 14th-century hesychast, a monk devoted to stillness and the Jesus Prayer. Born in Serbia, he belonged to the spiritual circle of St Gregory of Sinai, the great teacher of prayer of the heart. He dedicated his monastery to St Nicholas; in time it took his own name, Osiou Grigoriou, “of the Venerable Gregory”.
Above the monastery, the cave where he prayed in silence still survives. Tradition says that Serbian monks later carried his relics to Serbia.
Fire, princes and a new church
Like many houses of the Holy Mountain, St. Grigoriou suffered from raiders. After an attack around 1500, Moldavian princes, among them Stephen the Great, helped the monks rebuild.
In 1761 a fire swept through the monastery and destroyed much of its archive. Rebuilding began at once, with gifts from the Orthodox princes of the Danubian lands, and within a decade a new katholikon, the main church, stood in the old courtyard. It is dedicated to St Nicholas.
In 1779 two monks from Kastoria, Gabriel and Gregory, covered its walls with frescoes. Their work still surrounds the brotherhood at every service.
“Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let Your saints rejoice.”
The brotherhood today
A new chapter began in 1974, when Archimandrite Georgios Kapsanis came to St. Grigoriou with his brotherhood from the Monastery of St George Arma, near Chalkida. He led the monastery for forty years, and there he wrote his short book on theosis, union with God, as the true purpose of human life.
Elder Georgios stepped down in early 2014 and reposed on 8 June that year, the day of Pentecost. Archimandrite Christophoros, chosen as abbot that year, leads the brotherhood today.
Like the rest of Athos, St. Grigoriou keeps Byzantine time, in which the day begins at sunset.
St Anastasia the Roman and other treasures
After St Nicholas, the saint most loved at St. Grigoriou is St Anastasia the Roman, a young nun who refused to deny Christ and was beheaded in Rome in the 3rd century. The monastery keeps a precious portion of her relics: parts of her legs, still covered with skin, and her right hand.
The monks speak of brothers healed when they prayed before her relics, so they call her their physician, and her own hymn praises her “graces of healing”. A chapel in the monastery courtyard is dedicated to her.
Her feast falls on 29 October, kept at the monastery with an all-night vigil before her relics. She is not the same saint as St Anastasia the Pharmakolytria, “Deliverer from Potions”, remembered on 22 December.
Its treasures include a 17th-century icon of the Mother of God Galaktotrofousa, “the Milk-Giver”, and its library keeps a rare manuscript of the Shepherd of Hermas, an early Christian writing.
The wonderworking icon of St. Grigoriou
Among the icons of St. Grigoriou, one is honoured as wonderworking: the Panagia Palaiologina.
Panagia Palaiologina
Where: St. Grigoriou Monastery · Gift of: Maria Asanina Palaiologina, princess of Moldavia · Dated: late 15th century
This icon of the Mother of God takes its name from the woman who gave it: its inscription records the prayer of Maria Asanina Palaiologina, lady of Moldavia. According to tradition, it came through a great fire unharmed. In 2023 a copy was enthroned in the church of St Nicholas in Piraeus.
How do you read the icon of St Anastasia the Roman?
Here is St Anastasia in an icon from our Exclusive Collection. A small line at its foot names the very monastery that keeps her relics.
- Η ΑΓΙΑ ΑΝΑΣΤΑΣΙΑ Η ΡΩΜΑΙΑ “Saint Anastasia the Roman”, written in red on either side of her halo.
- The face Young and calm, with large, steady eyes: the peace of one who has passed through suffering to Christ.
- Blue and red-brown A deep blue veil over her head and shoulders and a red-brown mantle, the modest dress of a nun.
- Cross and prayer rope Her right hand holds a slender gold cross, sign of martyrdom, and a dark prayer rope, sign of her monastic prayer.
- The open palm Her left hand is raised with the palm turned outward: she confesses Christ and prays for us.
- Ι.Μ.Ο. ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΟΥ · ΑΓΙΟΝ ΟΡΟΣ At the foot, in small letters: “Holy Monastery of Osios Grigoriou, Holy Mountain”.
When is the feast of St. Grigoriou Monastery, and how is it kept?
St. Grigoriou celebrates its patron, St Nicholas, on 6 December. As at every patronal feast on the Holy Mountain, an all-night vigil begins on the eve, followed by the Divine Liturgy and a festal meal in the refectory.
The very next day, 7 December, the brotherhood remembers its founder, St Gregory.
Add the feast to your calendar
St. Grigoriou Monastery: a short timeline
- 14th century St Gregory founds a monastery of St Nicholas.
- 1761 Fire destroys much of the monastery and its archive.
- 1779 Gabriel and Gregory of Kastoria paint the new katholikon.
- 1974 Archimandrite Georgios Kapsanis and his brotherhood arrive.
- 2014 Elder Georgios reposes; Archimandrite Christophoros becomes abbot.
The apolytikion of St Nicholas
The truth of your life revealed you to your flock
as a rule of faith, an image of gentleness
and a teacher of self-control.
So by humility you gained the heights,
and by poverty, riches.
Father and Hierarch Nicholas,
intercede with Christ our God
that our souls may be saved.
6 December · St Nicholas
Tip: print this page and the hymn card prints on its own, clean and simple.
Read the hymn in Greek
Κανόνα πίστεως καὶ εἰκόνα πραότητος,
ἐγκρατείας διδάσκαλον,
ἀνέδειξέ σε τῇ ποίμνῃ σου
ἡ τῶν πραγμάτων ἀλήθεια·
διὰ τοῦτο ἐκτήσω τῇ ταπεινώσει τὰ ὑψηλά,
τῇ πτωχείᾳ τὰ πλούσια,
Πάτερ Ἱεράρχα Νικόλαε,
πρέσβευε Χριστῷ τῷ Θεῷ,
σωθῆναι τὰς ψυχὰς ἡμῶν.
Questions people ask
Who founded St. Grigoriou Monastery?
St Gregory, a 14th-century hesychast monk born in Serbia, from the circle of St Gregory of Sinai. He dedicated the monastery to St Nicholas, and it later took its founder’s name. He is remembered on 7 December.
When is the feast of St. Grigoriou Monastery?
Its patron, St Nicholas, is honoured on 6 December, with an all-night vigil on the eve. The monastery also keeps the feast of St Anastasia the Roman, whose relics it holds, on 29 October.
Which relics are kept at St. Grigoriou Monastery?
The best known are relics of St Anastasia the Roman, a nun martyred in the 3rd century: parts of her legs and her right hand. The monks honour her as a healer, and a courtyard chapel is dedicated to her.
Can women visit St. Grigoriou Monastery?
No. By ancient rule and Greek law, only men may enter the Holy Mountain. Relics of St Anastasia have, however, been brought from St. Grigoriou to cities in Greece for the faithful to venerate.
How do I get to St. Grigoriou Monastery?
Apply ahead to the Mount Athos Pilgrims’ Bureau for a permit and collect it in Ouranoupoli. Sail to Dafni, then take the coastal boat south. Arrange your overnight stay directly with the monastery.
Few of us will hear the vigil at St. Grigoriou, yet St Nicholas stands ready wherever he is called upon. Light the lamp before your icons tonight and pray with the monks: “Holy Father Nicholas, intercede for us.”
