The Journey to Mount Athos: Two Paths to Heaven

The proposed paper investigates the personal journey of Christian Orthodox monks ontheir way from the worldly world, via a monastery to heaven. The paper illustrates theimportance of movement in the spiritual and historical reproduction of thebrotherhoods.The paper compares two contrasting journeys from the secular world to Mount Athos, anautonomous, Christian Orthodox monastic republic of twenty monasteries with onlymale monks, situated in northern Greece. Using material gathered during my fieldworkin the neighbouring monasteries of Vatopaidi and Esfigmenou (2002-2004), the paperhighlights the importance of movement in the spiritual reproduction of the twobrotherhoods, as well as in the economic and political status of the two institutions. Theaim is to illustrate how the personal transformation of each monk complements thehistorical movement and changes that take place inside each institution, in relation toan imagined, profane 'world' (k/cosmos) out there. The comparison of the internalregimes and external conduct of the monks of Vatopaidi and Esfigmenou, whichrepresent contrasting and indeed competing views of monastic life, will furtherunderline the heterogeneity of ways of life on the Mount, as well as evolving traditions.In this way, the material offers a record of rapid change in the two monasteries,investigating the paradox of monastic life, as manifested by the monks' strive todisconnect and escape from the material world on their way to an imagined heaven; anact which is in itself a way of engaging with the same worldly world they morally andritually denounce in everyday life.