Our "Autonomous Territories" Series takes us to Mount Athos, a community of 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries that enjoy a specific status of autonomy within the Greek Republic.
Located on a small and remote peninsula off the region of Macedonia in Northern Greece, the monasteries have existed for many centuries and have been under the sovereignty of several countries. Since 1912, they are officially part of Greece. In order to established self-rule, the monasteries organized a common administration with a "capital" in the small settlement of Karyes. The status of autonomy was officially accepted by Greece in 1926.
More on Mount Athos
Mount Athos in 2022
