The monastery of Karakalou
According to the generally accepted view, a small monastery, founded by a monk named Karakalas
at the beginning of the 11th century A.D. probably formed the basis for the later building complex on the site.
The monastery is dedicated to the memory of the Apostles Peter and Paul, and occupies eleventh place in the hierarchy.
Like the majority of the monasteries on Mount Athos, this one too has known difficult times
(piratical raids, plundering by Latin soldiers, the expropriation of its estates by the Turks) though it has also
experienced periods of prosperity (giftsby emperors and patriarchs, the princes of Wallachia
and the kings of Iberia). The monastery played a leading role in the Greek struggle for liberation
and supported the chieftain Tsamis Karatasos (A.D.1854).