Simonopetra Monastery
The foundation of the monastery Simonopetra, which is dedicated to the Birth of Christ, is owed to hosios
Simon, a hermit on the Holy Mountain in the middle of the l4th century A.D. The monastery owes
its name to its founder and to the rocky area in which the seven-storey complex rises (petra -
rock). The site received benefactions and gifts from the Serb kral Ioannis Ugliesa (A.D. 1364)
and also from the entire community of active monks, who used the money that they collected
to mitigate the effects of adversity (fires of 1580, 1626 and 1891) and to repair damages and losses.
The monastery occupies thirteenth position in the hierarchy.
