The Greek press is again writing that the European Union wants to abolish avaton - an ancient rule that prohibits women from accessing Mount Athos. How possible is it to remove an avatar today, in your opinion?
There was no newsworthy reason for the news about the cancellation of Avaton. Speaking about this once again, the press did not provide any specific information - neither statements by officials, nor any decisions of the European Parliament, PACE or other organizations. The conversation was in the spirit that after the adoption of the law on the legalization of same-sex unions, further gradual de-Christianization will be carried out in Greece - and, perhaps, in the future, one of its stages will be the abolition of avaton.
The latest story related to an attempt to abolish this ancient rule dates back to the beginning of the 2000s. Then, in the European Parliament, 274 deputies spoke in favor of the abolition, 269 were against it, and another 14 people abstained. And about a year ago there were rumors that the World Council of Churches allegedly voted to remove the avaton, but this turned out to be unreliable information.
There are currently no facts indicating that the abolition of Avaton is being prepared in the near future. Moreover, this is now impossible, since it will lead to a very large resonance and protests within Greece. The status of Mount Athos is protected by Article 105 of the Greek Constitution and a number of agreements between Greece and the EU. Legally, the land of Athos belongs to twenty monasteries - the monks have the right to limit the right of entry to the Holy Mountain to those for whom they deem it necessary. The question of removing your avatar can be compared to the following situation: you have a 3-room apartment, and then the city hall comes up with a decree that you need to move three more people into your apartment.
- And if we talk about the long term, what is it?
Of course, the question of removing the avatar will sooner or later be brought up for discussion. But before that, many other things in Greece need to be dismantled - for example, icons hang in hospitals and courthouses in Greece. Gradually, they are already beginning to be removed: just the other day, at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Thessaloniki, the icon of Christ was removed from the entrance and taken away from view, to the fourth floor, despite the protests of a number of teachers and students. The process of secularization is underway in Europe, and Mount Athos will certainly be the target of attack. But not now, later.
Help from R.A.
Avaton, this is a set of rules for the monastery. On Mount Athos, there are many rules that differ depending on the monasteries. but one of the most famous avatons is the prohibition of women’s admission to the Holy Mountain.
Mount Athos was declared a sacred place by the decree of the Byzantine Emperor Basil I in the 9th century. The ban on women visiting Athos, the so-called "avaton", was established in the 11th century. Athos is considered the "destiny of the Most Holy Theotokos", the only woman who is always invisibly present on the Holy Mountain.
The entrance to Mount Athos is closed not only to women, but even to female animals, with the exception of chickens that lay eggs and cats that catch mice in monasteries.
History has preserved a number of cases when the inviolability of Athonite possessions for women was violated. Women who fled persecution by the Turkish authorities after an unsuccessful uprising in 1821 took refuge here, as well as communists from the partisan movement that participated in the Greek civil war of 1945-49.
In addition, the borders of Athos were violated by several adventurers and feminists who protested against what they considered a discriminatory ban.
The topic of lifting the ban has periodically become the subject of discussion from the point of view of human rights, gender discrimination, violation of international conventions on non-discrimination, the European Convention on Human Rights and EU legislation, in particular, one of the four fundamental principles of European integration - freedom of movement.
To assess the situation, a brief excursion into the history and religious aspects of the ban is necessary and useful. The ban was officially declared by the Byzantine Emperor Constantine Monomachos in the Golden Bull, a decree of 1046. The state simply provided a legislative framework for the already existing religious tradition, based on the fact that Mount Athos was a gift from God to the Virgin Mary. Today this tradition is preserved and protected by thousands of Orthodox monks of different nationalities in 20 monasteries under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.
Of course, the ban on entry into monasteries for persons of the opposite sex (both men and women) is not a unique characteristic of Mount Athos: such a ban is typical for both Orthodox and Catholic monasteries. Therefore, if we consider all 20 monasteries of Mount Athos as a community, the ban on women visiting the monastery will not seem like something extraordinary, but on the contrary, a generally accepted rule. So does it make a difference whether the ban applies to one monastery or to the entire semi-autonomous monastic republic? Since the monastic republic of Mount Athos consists only of male monasteries, I see no reason for a different solution. There is no reason to force Mount Athos to lift the ban on all monasteries just because it is not one institution, but a collection of 20!
One of the arguments against Avaton was the inclusion of Mount Athos in the list of UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites. The entire ensemble is a unique artistic creation, which combines the natural beauty of the area and the architectural perfection of the buildings. Moreover, the monasteries of Athos store many masterpieces. Since women are not allowed to attend this artistic ensemble, is this not a violation of Greece's international obligations? The UNESCO World Heritage Committee was naturally aware of the ban on women (and children) visiting Mount Athos when it included Athos in its list of heritage sites, but apparently did not consider this an obstacle. The project description on the UNESCO website also contains references to the Trypticon (agreement) of 1046 and to the charter ratified by the Greek government in 1926. Both of these documents confirm Avaton. UNESCO does not impose prerequisites for the inclusion of sites on its list, such as ensuring unimpeded access to World Heritage sites. In private collections there are also unique and valuable works of art that can be considered objects of world cultural heritage, but only their owner can decide to whom they should be shown.
Although for the reasons stated earlier I believe that the thousand-year-old tradition of the Athonite monks is not discriminatory, I will explain what it would mean to force the monks to lift the ban on women visiting Mount Athos.For people who do not share religious views and cannot agree with the traditions of monks, Avaton, when viewed in isolation, may seem discriminatory. This may well be the case. But does this automatically mean a violation of human rights? Human rights are not only based on formal legislation, they are a consequence of the existence of the human dignity necessary for everyone, as well as shared values, as confirmed by the parties to the European Convention on Human Rights, saying that “European countries are of the same views and have a common heritage of political traditions and ideals, respect for freedom and the rule of law." And especially where there is a conflict between different human rights, these basic principles of the humanitarian rights system should be kept in mind!
Athos is the only place on Earth where women are officially prohibited from being. However, it is this Holy Mountain that is considered the earthly inheritance of the Mother of God.
1. Athos was considered a sacred place even in pre-Christian times. There were temples of Apollo and Zeus here. Athos was the name of one of the titans, who, during the war with the gods, threw a large stone. Having fallen, he became a mountain, which was given the name of titan.
2. Athos is formally considered Greek territory, but in fact it is the only independent monastic republic in the world. This is approved by Article 105 of the Greek Constitution. The supreme power here belongs to the Holy Kinot, which consists of representatives of Athonite monasteries delegated to it. The executive branch is represented by the Sacred Epistasy. The Holy Kinot and the Holy Epistasia are located in Karyes (Kareya), the capital of the monastic republic.
3. Secular power, however, is also represented on Mount Athos. There is a governor, police officers, postal workers, merchants, artisans, staff from a medical center and a newly opened bank branch. The governor is appointed by the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is responsible for security and order on Mount Athos.
4. The first large monastery on Mount Athos was founded in 963 by Saint Athanasius of Mount Athos, who is considered the founder of the entire way of monastic life accepted on the Holy Mountain. Today the monastery of St. Athanasius is known as the Great Lavra.
5. Athos is the earthly Destiny of the Mother of God. According to legend, in 48 the Most Holy Theotokos, having received the grace of the Holy Spirit, went to Cyprus, but the ship was caught in a storm and washed up on Mount Athos. After her sermons, local pagans believed in Jesus and adopted Christianity. Since then, the Most Holy Theotokos herself has been considered the patroness of the Athonite monastic community.
6. The cathedral church of the “capital of Athos” Kareya - the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - is the oldest on Athos. According to legend, it was founded in 335 by Constantine the Great.
7. Byzantine times are still preserved on Mount Athos. A new day begins at sunset, so Athonite time differs from Greek - from 3 hours in summer to 7 hours in winter.
8. During its heyday, Holy Athos included 180 Orthodox monasteries. The first monastic hermitages appeared here in the 8th century. The republic received autonomy status under the auspices of the Byzantine Empire in 972.
9. Currently, there are 20 active monasteries on Mount Athos, in which about two thousand brothers live.
10. The Russian monastery (Xylurgu) was founded before 1016; in 1169, the monastery of Panteleimon was transferred to it, which then became the center of Russian monks on Athos. The number of Athonite monasteries, in addition to the Greek ones, includes the Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery, Bulgarian and Serbian monasteries, as well as the Romanian monastery, which enjoy the right of self-government.
11. The highest point of the Athos Peninsula (2033 m) is the peak of Mount Athos. Here is a temple in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord, built, according to legend, by the Monk Athanasius of Athos in 965 on the site of a pagan temple.
12. The Mother Superior and Patroness of the Holy Mountain is the Most Holy Theotokos.
13. A strict hierarchy of monasteries has been established on Mount Athos. In first place is the Great Lavra, in twentieth place is the Konstamonit Monastery.
14. Karuli (translated from Greek as “reels, ropes, chains, with the help of which monks walk along mountain paths and lift provisions up”) is the name of a rocky, inaccessible area in the southwest of Athos, where the most ascetic hermits labor in caves.
15. Until the early 1990s, the monasteries on Mount Athos were both communal and special. After 1992, all monasteries became communal. However, some monasteries still remain special.
16. Despite the fact that Athos is the earthly Destiny of the Mother of God, women and “female creatures” are not allowed here. This prohibition is enshrined in the Charter of Athos.
There is a legend that in 422, the daughter of Theodosius the Great, Princess Placidia, visited the Holy Mountain, but was prevented from entering the Vatopedi monastery by a voice emanating from the icon of the Mother of God.
The ban was violated twice: during Turkish rule and during the Greek Civil War (1946-1949), when women and children fled to the forests of the Holy Mountain. For women entering the territory of Mount Athos, criminal liability is provided - 8-12 months of imprisonment.
17. Many relics and 8 famous miraculous icons are kept on Mount Athos.
18. In 1914-1915, 90 monks of the Panteleimon Monastery were mobilized into the army, which gave rise to suspicions among the Greeks that the Russian government was sending soldiers and spies to Athos under the guise of monks.
20. One of the main relics of Athos is the belt of the Virgin Mary. Therefore, Athonite monks, and especially the monks of the Vatopedi monastery, are often called “holy belts.”
21. Despite the fact that Athos is a holy place, not everything is peaceful there. Since 1972, the monks of the Esphigmen monastery, under the slogan “Orthodoxy or death,” have refused to commemorate the Ecumenical and other Orthodox patriarchs with ties to the Pope. Representatives of all Athonite monasteries, without exception, view these contacts negatively, but their actions are not so radical.
22. Before sunrise, before people in the world wake up, up to 300 liturgies are served on Athos.
23. For lay people to gain access to Athos, a special document is required - diamanterion - paper with the Athos seal - the double-headed Byzantine eagle. The number of pilgrims is limited; no more than 120 people can visit the peninsula at a time. About 10 thousand pilgrims visit Athos every year. Orthodox clerics must also obtain prior permission from the Ecumenical Patriarchate to visit the Holy Mountain.
24. In 2014, Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople called on Athonite monasteries to limit the number of monks of foreign origin on Mount Athos to 10%, and also announced a decision to stop issuing permits to foreign monks to settle in Greek-speaking monasteries.
25. On September 3, 1903, in the Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos, the monk Gabriel captured the distribution of alms to the poor Syrian monks, pilgrims and wanderers. It was planned that this would be the last such distribution. However, after developing the negative, the photo showed... the Mother of God herself. Of course, they continued to give out alms. The negative of this photo was found on Mount Athos last year.
26. St. Andrew's monastery on Mount Athos, as well as other Russian settlements, was a hotbed of name-glorification in the early 1910s; in 1913, its inhabitants were expelled to Odessa with the help of Russian troops.
27. The first ruler of Russia to visit the Holy Mountain was Vladimir Putin. His visit took place in September 2007.
28. In 1910, there were about 5 thousand Russian monks on Mount Athos - significantly more than the clergy of all other nationalities combined. There was an article in the budget of the Russian government according to which 100 thousand rubles in gold were allocated to Greece annually for the maintenance of the Athos monasteries. This subsidy was canceled by the Kerensky government in 1917.
29. After the end of the Civil War in Russia, the arrival of Russians to Athos was practically prohibited both for persons from the USSR and for persons from the Russian emigration until 1955.
30. Many people, without knowing it, come across the word “Athos” when reading the novel “The Three Musketeers” by Alexandre Dumas. The name Athos is the same as "Athos".
The spelling of this word contains the letter “theta”, which denotes an interdental sound, which does not exist in the Russian language. It was transliterated differently at different times. And as “f” - since the spelling of “theta” is similar to “f”, and as “t” - since in Latin “theta” was expressed with the letters “th”. As a result, we have a tradition of calling the mountain “Athos” and the hero “Athos”, although we are talking about the same word.
Mount Athos is a peninsula in Greece on which 20 large monasteries are located (not counting smaller monastic communities). In Byzantium, women were strictly prohibited from entering all monasteries. The Holy Mountain is considered the earthly destiny of the Mother of God - legend says that the Most Holy Theotokos and the Evangelist John set off on a sea voyage, but were caught in a storm on the way and lost their course, eventually landing at the foot of Mount Athos, in the place where Iversky is now located monastery. Struck by the beauty of these places, the Mother of God asked the Lord to make the Holy Mountain Her earthly inheritance. According to the covenant of the Mother of God, no woman except Her can set foot on the land of Athos. In 1045, under the Byzantine Emperor Constantine IX Monomakh, a statute was adopted for the Athonites, officially prohibiting women and even female domestic animals from being on the territory of the Holy Mountain. A Greek Presidential Decree of 1953 provides for imprisonment of 2 to 12 months for women who violate the ban (it must be said that during the Greek Civil War of 1946-1949, refugee women found refuge on the Holy Mountain, as they did more than once during Turkish rule). Maintaining the ban was one of the conditions put forward by Greece for joining the European Union. Despite this, various EU bodies periodically try to challenge this point. Until now, this has not been possible, since Athos is formally in private ownership - the entire territory of the mountain is divided into twenty parts between the monasteries located here. It should be noted that the Byzantine ban on visiting monasteries by persons of the opposite sex in Greece is still observed quite strictly - not only on Athos, but in many monasteries women are not allowed, and men (except for serving clergy) are not allowed into most nunneries.
Women at Local Councils
For most of church history, the absence of women at church councils was determined by the words of the Apostle Paul: “Let your wives be silent in the churches, for it is not lawful for them to speak, but to be in subjection, as the law says. If they want to learn something, let them ask their husbands at home; for it is indecent for a woman to speak in church” (1 Cor. 14:34-35). The Russian Orthodox Church strictly observed this rule until the twentieth century. Even at the Local Council of 1917-1918, famous for the number of church innovations proposed at it, women (including monastics), although they could be present, did not have the right to vote. For the first time in the history of the Church, women took part in the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1971, when Patriarch Pimen was elected. Women also took part in the work of the Local Council of 1990, which elected Patriarch Alexy II.
According to the canons of the Church, only the successors of the apostles - bishops - are full members of Local Councils. There are no canons providing for the participation of clergy and laity in councils, although there were similar cases in the history of the Church, especially after the fall of the Byzantine Empire. In Russia at the beginning of the twentieth century, a wide debate arose about the participation of not only bishops in councils. As a result, members of the cathedral of 1917-1918. There were both clergy and laity. The current Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church, adopted in 2000, also provides for the participation of clergy and laity in the Local Council. However, the episcopate retains canonically justified control over the decisions of the Local Council: any decision can be made by the council only with the consent of the majority of the bishops present at it.
Why can't a woman be a priest?
The centuries-old Orthodox church tradition has never known female “priests”; the practice of “ordaining” women to the priesthood and episcopal rank is not accepted by the Orthodox Church.
There are several arguments against the female priesthood. First, “the priest at the liturgy is the liturgical icon of Christ, and the altar is the room of the Last Supper. At this supper, it was Christ who took the cup and said: drink, this is My Blood. ...We partake of the Blood of Christ, which He Himself gave, which is why the priest must be a liturgical icon of Christ. ...Therefore, the priestly archetype (prototype) is male, not female” (Deacon Andrei Kuraev, “The Church in the World of People”).
Secondly, a priest is a shepherd, and a woman, created as a helper, herself needs support and advice and therefore cannot carry out pastoral service in its entirety. She is called to fulfill her calling in motherhood.
An equally weighty argument is the absence of the very idea of a female priesthood in Church Tradition. “Holy Tradition is not just a tradition,” explained to us the professor of the Moscow Theological Academy, Doctor of Theology A.I. Osipov. — It is important to be able to distinguish random traditions from traditions that have deep religious roots. There are strong arguments that the absence of a female priesthood is an essential tradition. In the history of the Church, the first century is called the century of extraordinary gifts. Simultaneously with baptism, people received gifts, some of them several at once: prophecy, the gift of tongues, the gift of healing diseases, casting out demons... Gifts obvious to everyone amazed the pagans, convincing them of the significance and power of Christianity. In this age we see a different attitude towards the Jewish Law, from which Christianity historically (but not ontologically) emerged. In particular, a different attitude towards women. Among the saints of that time there are Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene, Thekla - women who, in their talents, were on the same level as the apostles, and were engaged in the same thing - preaching Christianity. But nowhere and never was the level of their church veneration connected with the granting of the priesthood to them.
Moreover, when in the II-III centuries. A female priesthood appeared in the Marcionite sect; this caused a strong protest from a number of revered saints and teachers of the Church.
The Mother of God, revered above the Angels, was not a priest.
The issue of the inadmissibility of the female priesthood is not covered in detail in theological literature: there are only isolated statements on this matter. But the fact is that in science a new theory is accepted only when there are new facts that confirm it, and fundamental shortcomings inherent in the previous theory. Theology is also a science. So, according to a principle common to all sciences, theological arguments should be presented not by opponents of the female priesthood, but by its defenders. These arguments can only come from two sources - Holy Scripture and the teachings of the Holy Fathers. “Neither in Scripture nor in patristic literature is there a single fact confirming the possibility of a female priesthood.”
For reference: the first female “priest” in the history of Christianity appeared in one of the churches of the Anglican Commonwealth (an association of Anglican churches around the world). Her name was Florence Lee Tim Oy (1907-1992). In 1941, after receiving her theological training, she became a deaconess and served the Chinese refugee community in Macau. When the Japanese occupation of China left the Macau congregation without a priest, the Anglican bishop of Hong Kong ordained her to the priesthood. It was a forced step. Because this was 30 years before any Anglican Church officially allowed female priesthood, Dr. Lee Tim Oi ceased priestly ministry immediately after the end of World War II. She died in 1992 in Toronto; By this time, the female “priesthood” had been introduced in most Anglican churches; the further, the more they deviated from the apostolic institutions, not only in this matter. “Why do Protestants dare to introduce female priests? There is an internal contradiction here,” says Fr. Job (Gumerov), teacher of the Sacred History of the Old Testament at the Moscow Sretensky Seminary. “After all, in disputes with Orthodox Christians, Protestants almost say: “Where does it say this in the Bible?” But on the issue of the female priesthood, they act in exactly the opposite way. Reasoning that if the Bible does not say “no”, then it is possible is formalism, deceit and a refusal to perceive the true spirit of Holy Scripture.”
The late Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh believed that from a theological point of view, the question of a woman’s vocation had yet to be worked out. “I am convinced that we must think about this problem with all the strength of our minds, with full knowledge of Scripture and Tradition, and find the answer” (“The Orthodox Church and the Women’s Question,” Bulletin of the RSHD, II-2002). The Bishop wrote about the height and responsibility of the priestly calling: “The priesthood is a state filled with such fear that it is impossible to desire it. It can be accepted almost with sacred awe, with horror, and therefore the priesthood is not a matter of status, unless we reduce the priesthood to the level of unskilled public work and preaching and a kind of “Christian social service.”
The words of the Apostolic Epistles about all believers are well known: “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light” (1 Pet. 2:9). How to understand these words? Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh explains this idea this way: “It seems to me that we can answer that the universal priesthood consists in the calling of all those who belong to Christ Himself, who through baptism have become Christ’s... to sanctify this world, to make it sacred and holy, to offer it as a gift to God . This service consists, first of all, of offering one’s own soul and body to God as a living sacrifice, and in this offering of oneself, offering everything that is ours: not only feelings, and soul, and thoughts, and will, and the whole body, but everything we do, everything we touch, everything that belongs to us, everything that we can free with our power from slavery to Satan is through the act of our own faithfulness to God.”
Protopresbyter Nikolai Afanasyev in its famous work “The Church of the Holy Spirit” separates the ministry of the royal priesthood - common to all the faithful, and the ministry of government - the shepherd or “special”, hierarchical priesthood. The royal priesthood is understood in only one way - as the co-service of the entire church community in the celebration of the Eucharist. But the assembly of the faithful cannot exist without a primate, a shepherd who has received special gifts of governance. “Government belongs only to those specially called, and not to the entire people, whose members have not received the gifts of government, and without grace-filled gifts there can be no service in the Church. Therefore, the ministry of shepherds is different from the ministry of God’s people.” It is precisely this kind of pastoral service (presbyterian and episcopal), according to Tradition, that women are not allowed to serve.
Have women always been excluded from the altar?
Widows, virgins or nuns after 40 years can become an altar server - that is, clean the altar, serve the censer, read, go out with candles. In the Holy Land, in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, any pilgrim or pilgrim can enter the Edicule - the cave where Christ was resurrected and which serves as the altar of the temple - and venerate the deathbed of the Savior, that is, St. to the throne. Many are confused by the fact that at Baptism, boys are brought into the altar, but girls are not. However, it is known that until the 14th century, all children on the fortieth day after birth were churched (“fortiethly”) - brought into the altar. Moreover, both boys and girls were applied to St. to the throne. Children were baptized at about three years old, and infants only in case of danger. Later, after children began to be baptized earlier, the rite of churching began to be performed not before, but immediately after Baptism, and then girls were no longer brought to the altar, and boys were no longer brought to the Holy Cross. to the throne.
Where did the deaconesses go?
Deaconesses as a special female church ministry appeared around the 4th century after the Nativity of Christ (although Deaconess Thebes is mentioned in the Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Romans, historians believe that at that time the rite of becoming a deaconess had not yet been established). In the subsequent Byzantine tradition, unmarried women over 50 years of age could become deaconesses: widows, virgins, and also nuns. The order of the rites of ordination of a deaconess and a deacon was almost the same (but the prayers of ordination, of course, were different) - at the end of the ordination the deacon was given the Chalice, and he went to give communion to the believers, and the deaconess put the Chalice back on the Holy. throne. This expressed the fact that the deaconess had no liturgical duties (the only known independent role of deaconesses in worship was related to maintaining decency during the Baptism of women: after the bishop or priest poured holy oil on the forehead of the baptized person, the rest of the body was anointed by the deaconess). Deaconesses performed administrative functions in charitable institutions and led women's communities. In Byzantium, deaconesses existed until the 11th century (by this time only schema-nuns could become deaconesses); in the West, they disappeared about half a millennium earlier - largely due to the destruction of the social structure within which they were required. In Byzantium, the need for deaconesses disappeared for similar reasons - social charitable institutions no longer needed them. Later, the institution of deaconesses was not restored, since there was no need for them. True, several deaconesses were ordained by Saint Nektarios of Aegina (1846-1920), the founder of a convent on the Greek island of Aegina, but this experience was not continued. There have never been deaconesses in Russia - in the oldest Slavic manuscript of the rites of ordination (bishop's Trebnik RNL. Sof. 1056, 14th century) the rite of ordination of a deaconess is absent.
Why do men and women stand separately in some temples?
According to a tradition dating back to early Christian times, men and women stand separately in the church. This division corresponded to ancient ideas about piety. The conventional division of the temple into male and female halves is still preserved, for example, among the Copts. In Byzantium, many churches had choirs (second floors running along the perimeter of the temple), where women stood during services.
Just a rib or the whole half?
According to one interpretation of the Bible, God created woman not from the man Adam, but from the man Adam, dividing him into two halves: male and female. Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh comments on this passage: “Translations of the Bible often say that God took Adam’s rib (Gen. 2:21). The Hebrew text offers other translations, one of which speaks of a side rather than an edge. God did not separate the rib, but separated two sides, two halves, female and male. Indeed, when you read the text in Hebrew, it becomes clear what Adam is saying when he comes face to face with Eve. He exclaims: She is a wife, because I am a husband (Gen. 2:23). In Hebrew it sounds: ish and isha, the same word in the masculine and feminine. Together they make up a person, and they see each other in a new richness, in a new opportunity to grow what is already given into a new fullness.
The horrors of Domostroy are exaggerated
For some reason, it is believed that all the horrors of traditional family life are described in “Domostroy” - a Russian family charter of the 16th century (the famous priest Sylvester was the author of only one of the editions of “Domostroy”). However, in this book we find only one quote that can be interpreted as encouraging corporal punishment for women: “If the husband saw that his wife was in disarray and the servants, or that everything was not as described in this book, he would be able to instruct his wife and teach her useful things.” advice; if she understands, then let her do everything like that, and respect her and favor her, but if the wife is such a science, does not follow the instructions and does not fulfill it (as is said in this book), and she herself does not know any of this, and the servants do not teaches, a husband must punish his wife, admonish her with fear in private, and having punished her, forgive and reproach, and gently instruct, and teach, but at the same time neither the husband should be offended by his wife, nor the wife by her husband - always live in love and harmony.”
Is no one offended?
How widespread is dissatisfaction among church women with the place the Church assigns them? We asked several prominent Orthodox women about this. Let’s be honest: when we started our survey of Orthodox compatriots, we expected that the successful, professionally accomplished women who had fulfilled their calling, who we had chosen, felt more keenly than others and were better able to express the women’s resentment that was heard in the letter from the Church Abroad. To our surprise, there was not a single offended person among our interlocutors!
Maybe the fact is that in the Church any conversation from the position of “I have the right” is completely unfruitful? None of us - men or women, it doesn’t matter - can demand anything “for ourselves” - because love does not seek its own. You can only demand from yourself. How good it is that it is easier for the feminine, softer and more compliant nature to understand this!
What should those who are still offended do: men won’t let them say a word? I think there is some consolation. If you really have something to say, and the content of your soul and your words is really important, you don’t have to be afraid, you will be heard. How the holy women were heard - so much so that the memory of them and their words were preserved through the centuries.
The topic “woman in the Church” cannot be limited to one issue. About what is the true calling of women and whether it is the same for everyone, why active social or church activities are dangerous for her, whether her life is detrimental if she is not married, why it is now so difficult to find a “other half” - read this in the following room of Neskuchny Garden.
As you know, Athos is the earthly Destiny of the Mother of God, where access to women is prohibited by the Charter of the Holy Mountain. Today, women are subject to criminal liability for entering the territory of Mount Athos - up to 12 months in prison.
Until the 5th century, women could visit the Holy Mountain. There is a legend according to which, in 422, Princess Placidia, the daughter of Theodosius the Great, visited the Holy Mountain to venerate the shrines, but when she approached the temple, she heard the voice of the Most Holy Theotokos, who commanded her to immediately leave the peninsula. “From now on, let no woman set foot on the ground of the Holy Mountain,” said the Most Pure One. From that time on, women were closed to Athos. The monks strictly honor this tradition and there are not even female animals on Mount Athos.
But it is also known that during Turkish rule and during the Greek Civil War (1946-1949), women and children fled to the forests of the Holy Mountain.
Today we will remember eight women who forever remained in the history of Holy Mount Athos.
1. The Most Holy Theotokos - Abbess of Holy Mount Athos
According to one of the legends, the ship on which the Mother of God was sailing to Cyprus was caught in a storm, and it washed up on the shore of Mount Athos, where pagans lived. The Blessed Virgin came ashore and told the pagans about Jesus Christ, conveying the gospel teaching. By the power of Her preaching and numerous miracles, the Mother of God converted the local residents to Christianity. Before setting sail from Athos, the Mother of God blessed the people and said: “Behold, My Son and My God have become my lot! God's grace to this place and to those who abide in it with faith and fear and with the commandments of My Son; with a little care, everything on earth will be abundant for them, and they will receive heavenly life, and the mercy of My Son will not fail from this place until the end of the age, and I will be a warm intercessor to My Son for this place and for those who dwell in it.”
2. Holy Righteous Anna, Mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary
In honor of Her, the largest monastery on Holy Mount Athos was founded in the 14th century, which is subordinate to the Great Lavra. The main shrine of the monastery is the foot of the righteous Anna herself, as well as a rare miraculous icon depicting Saint Anna holding her little daughter, the Virgin Mary, in her arms. Saint Anna has the special grace to intercede before God for barren spouses and suffering infants.
3. Empress Theodora
Paired images of icons of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, which are called “Toys of Empress Theodora,” are kept in the Vatopedi Monastery on Holy Mount Athos. According to legend, their origin is attributed to the Byzantine Empress Theodora, who restored the veneration of icons. In the Vatopedi Monastery, the images were seen in 1744 by the traveler V. G. Grigorovich-Barsky. In his notes, he wrote the following: “Some ancient icons are small... of very praiseworthy and amazing art: Christ on a special panel, and the Virgin Mary with the Child on another, very old and amazingly depicted, hanging above the abbot’s pulpit, called in Greek “Nenya tis basilesis Theodoras” , these are the dolls of Queen Theodora.”
4. Queen Helena, wife of Stephen IV Dusan
She was the only woman whose foot has set foot on the land of Holy Mount Athos over the last thousand years. In 1347, a plague raged in Serbia, and King Dushan and Queen Helena escaped from it on Mount Athos, which was then part of their possessions.
5. Princess Anna Haraldovna
The first Russian pilgrim to holy places initiated the renaming of the Russian monastery on Mount Athos into the Panteleimon Monastery. Thanks to her generous contributions, the Russian monks were able to move from the cramped monastery at the edge of the cliff to the spacious and safe monastery of the Thessalonian and, perhaps, through her received some of the holy relics that ended up in the hands of the crusaders.
6. Maria, widow of the Turkish Sultan Murat II
After the fall of Constantinople, the daughter of the Serbian ruler George Brankovich, Maria, transferred to the monastery of St. Paul some of the gold, incense and myrrh brought by the Magi as a gift to the Infant Jesus Christ. According to legend, the Serbian princess herself wanted to bring these treasures into the monastery, but she could not walk even a few steps when she was stopped by the Angel of God, who informed her that she must immediately return to the ship. At the site of the transfer of treasures there is now a cross and a chapel. The gifts of the Magi are still kept in the monastery of St. Paul, gold - 28 pendant plates. Six dozen rolled balls of frankincense and myrrh, which still smell fragrant.
7. Empress Elizabeth I Petrovna
Permission to establish a Ukrainian Cossack monastery on Holy Mount Athos, which was called “Black Vyr,” was given by Empress Elizabeth I Petrovna. It is believed that Count Alexey Razumovsky asked her about this.
8. Akilina Smirnova (nun Raphaila)
Being a merchant's widow, she took secret monastic vows with the name Raphael. Unable to settle permanently in a monastery, she directed all her attention to doing a number of benefactors for different monasteries. But mainly she donated funds for the construction and decoration of the temples of the Athos monastery of the Great Martyr Panteleimon. In addition, in September 1879, Akilina Smirnova donated her estate in Moscow to house the Moscow courtyard of the Athos Panteleimon Monastery.
Even in the 21st century you can find Orthodox monasteries where women are prohibited from entering. Women are not allowed to go to Athos and at least two other monasteries. Is there gender discrimination in the Church? Why do only men become priests and enter the altar? Read more about this in the article.
Nowadays, Orthodox monasteries are less and less perceived as places of deeply secluded life for brothers or sisters. Crowds of pilgrims from different parts of the world regularly visit Christian monasteries. But there are still places where monks completely seclude themselves from worldly temptations.
Previously, everything was completely different: the monasteries were more closed, not everyone could get into them. Moreover, representatives of the weaker sex were not allowed into Byzantine monasteries. Even in our time, there are Orthodox places where women are prohibited from entering. The most famous example is that women are not allowed to go to Mount Athos. But we will tell you about at least two more monasteries where no woman has ever set foot. But first, let's look at some important aspects of “Orthodox discrimination.”
Women are not allowed on Mount Athos and other restrictions
Women in the Orthodox Church often have to “humble themselves”, starting from childhood. During baptism, boys are brought into the altar, but girls are not. Men become priests, but women are prohibited. In Orthodoxy, it is not customary for women to preach, and the Apostle Paul even calls on the fairer sex to remain silent altogether (“Let your wives be silent in the churches”).
Moreover, women are not allowed on Mount Athos, one of the prayer centers of Orthodoxy. If you look at the history of the Church, you can find an explanation for all these facts.
Why are priests only men?
Indeed, only men become priests. Why? Because the priest is the image of Christ. As Deacon Andrey Kuraev writes, the priest is a liturgical icon of Christ. The Savior was incarnated in the male gender.
Why are women not allowed to enter the altar?
If the question itself arises, “Why are women not allowed to enter the altar?”, then there is some basis for it. This basis was the 44th rule of the Council of Laodicea (about 360):
It is not proper for a woman to enter the altar.
But this is not the only ban. The 69th Rule of the Trullo, or Sixth Ecumenical Council (692) reads:
Let none of all those belonging to the class of laymen be allowed to enter the interior of the sacred altar. But according to some ancient legend, this is by no means forbidden to the power and dignity of the king when he desires to bring gifts to the Creator.
What does it mean? Only temple servants, as well as those who are going to bring gifts to God, can enter the altar (at that time kings could allow this).
If before the decisions of these councils it was not forbidden for the laity to enter the altar, then after the adoption of the rules it was allowed only for clergy.
What if this is a convent where one priest and deacon serve, and everyone else is nuns? Today, in women's monasteries, nuns after 40 years of age are allowed to enter the altar, as well as widows and virgins (for example, they can become altar servers, that is, perform a certain cleaning service).
An exception. Every pilgrim to the Holy Land, when he enters the Edicule and venerates the Holy Sepulcher, is unlikely to ask the question “Why are women not allowed to enter the altar?” Only a few people think about the fact that the Edicule is the altar of the temple where they serve, and the marble slab of the Holy Sepulcher is the throne.
Baptism and churching. Not everything is so simple with the tradition of bringing a boy into the altar during baptism (girls are not brought in). Previously, everything was different: babies, regardless of gender, were brought to the temple on the fortieth day - they were churched - they were brought into the altar and even laid to the throne. Children were baptized much later. Nowadays, everything has changed places: usually people are baptized first and then churched. Girls are no longer brought into the altar, and boys are only brought in, but not placed at the throne.
Strict morals of Byzantine monasteries
The ancient monasteries had very strict rules. In order not to tempt the inhabitants who wanted to completely devote themselves to God and took a vow of celibacy, entry into the monastery was closed to a representative of the opposite sex. If it is a monastery - for women, if it is a monastery - for men.
It must be said that at that time monasticism was predominantly male. Accordingly, the ban for women was used more often. This tradition was widely strengthened in Byzantium, where representatives of the weaker sex were not allowed into the male monastery under any pretext. In some monasteries in Greece it has still been preserved (women are not allowed on Mount Athos - and this is not the limit). More on this later.
Three main shrines where women are prohibited from entering
The following monasteries have survived to this day where no woman has ever set foot:
- Orthodox monasteries on Mount Athos;
- Lavra of Saint Sava in Israel;
Holy Mount Athos
Almost everyone knows that women are not allowed to go to Mount Athos. But how did this ban come about and how strictly is it observed?
The Holy Mountain is also called the earthly inheritance of the Mother of God. It is believed that the only Woman whose foot has set foot on this earth is the Blessed Virgin.
According to legend, in 49, the Mother of God, together with the Apostle John the Theologian, was caught in a storm on Mount Athos - their ship washed ashore. The Most Pure One liked this area so much that she even asked the Lord to make the Holy Mountain Her inheritance. God said that Athos would become not only the Mother of God’s earthly inheritance, but also a refuge for those who wish to be saved.
For a long time, only a few hermits found solitude on the Holy Mountain. But at the beginning of the 8th century their number increased significantly. In 963, the first monastery was founded - the Great Lavra. Over time, Athos turns into a kind of monastic state.
Nowadays, there are 20 active monasteries on the Holy Mountain, where about 1,500 monks and inhabitants live. To get to Mount Athos, a pilgrim needs to obtain a special visa - daimonitirion. It is only available to men and male children. Women are not allowed to go to Mount Athos. Not only to the monasteries, but also to the territory of the Holy Mountain in general.
There are many legends about the end of the world associated with Athos. According to one of them, if women are allowed to enter the Holy Mountain, the end of the world will soon come.
This is one of the most ancient monasteries. It is located in the Judean Desert. It is believed that back in 484, Savva the Sanctified founded this monastery. In addition to Saint Sava, many famous ascetics joined the monastery. Among the most famous - John of Damascus, with which the history of the image of the Mother of God “Three Hands” is connected, and John the Silent.
For more than 15 centuries, monastic life has never faded here: even in the most difficult moments, the monastery did not close. Time passes, but life in the monastery does not change, the degree of severity does not decrease. Not only are women not allowed into the Lavra, as well as on Mount Athos, they still don’t use electric light or mobile communications, services are held at night, and only the abbot himself confesses to the brethren and everyone who wants to.
It is interesting that the founder of the monastery is considered to be a woman. It was Queen Helen, Equal to the Apostles, who in 327 stopped at the island during a storm. The idea of founding a monastery here was suggested to her by an Angel. The queen, having landed on the shore, noticed the disappearance of the cross of the prudent robber. But then I saw a shrine on the top of a nearby mountain. Here she founded a monastery, to which she donated the cross of a repentant thief and a piece of the Life-Giving Tree of the Lord with one nail, which was used to bring the Savior.
Over time, the cross of the prudent robber was stolen, but part of the Life-Giving Tree remained in the monastery. Today this particle is considered the largest shrine of Stavrovouni.
The monastery repeatedly succumbed to robbery and destruction, and for a certain period passed into the hands of Catholics. Today it belongs to the Cypriot Orthodox Church and is open to the public. True, only for men. Women are not allowed entry. They can only enter the temple of all Cypriot saints, located near the Stavrovouni monastery.
We invite you to watch a film about life on the Holy Mountain, where you will learn why women are not allowed to go to Mount Athos and what life in a monastic republic looks like from the inside:
Take it for yourself and tell your friends!
Read also on our website:
show more