Women are excluded from the inner sanctums of many religions–the all-male priesthood of the Catholic Church comes to mind. But I’ve heard there’s a monastery in Greece so misogynistic it excludes female animals. Can this be true? What’s the deal? Do they really think femaleness in any form will defile the joint, or are they just concerned that the monks will get, you know, lonely?
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
There really is a place that takes things to the extremes you describe, but it’s not just one monastery, it’s a peninsula full of them–specifically the peninsula of Athos, more commonly known as Mount Athos, which juts into the Aegean Sea in northern Greece. Somewhat grandly referred to as the Garden of the Mother of God (lest we rubes get it mixed up with the Wisconsin Dells), the wild, spectacularly beautiful promontory is home to 20 monasteries, 2,500 monks, and an unknown number of domestic animals–all male. Exception: the local cats, which even the most determined defenders of the faith have learned to leave alone.
Mount Athos is said to be the oldest surviving monastic community in the world. According to legend, the Virgin Mary landed on the peninsula after having been blown off course while traveling and was so struck by its beauty that she asked her son to let it be her garden. Done, said a voice. From that moment–one recognizes a certain gap in the logic here–the peninsula was out of bounds to any other woman.
