The Monastery of Philotheou is one of twenty monasteries on the Mount Athos peninsula and is located on the eastern side. It is twelfth in hierarchical rank amongst the monasteries.
Founded by St Philotheos in the last quarter of the tenth century, it was obscure until Serbian and Bulgarian monks settled there between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries. As the Slav monks departed, the monastery again became obscure; until the eighteenth century, when the Romanian princes of Moldavia and Wallachia made grants to the monastery with which the brotherhood had guest quarters, cells and chapels built.
In 1746, the central church was built, and over the next thirty years had fresco’s painted, including the Mother of God Glykofiloussa and scenes from the Revelation. Additionally, there are ten chapels connected to the monastery, four within the monastery’s walls and six external.
The name of ‘Philotheou’ is derived after its founder, St Philotheos, which literally means ‘Beloved of God’. Philotheou functions as a coenobitic monastery.
If you want to pray for you or to donate, click here.
