Simonopetra monastery
| Σιμωνόπετρα | |
Southern view of the monastery.
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 Location within Mount Athos
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| Monastery information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Holy Monastery of Simonopetra |
| Other names | Simonos Petra |
| Order | Ecumenical Patriarchate |
| Established | 13th century |
| Dedicated to | Nativity of Jesus |
| Diocese | Mount Athos |
| People | |
| Founder(s) | Simon the Athonite |
| Prior | Archimandrite Elder Eliseus |
| Site | |
| Location | Mount Athos, Greece |
| Coordinates | 40°11′23″N 24°14′44″E / 40.189722°N 24.245556°ECoordinates: 40°11′23″N 24°14′44″E / 40.189722°N 24.245556°E |
| Public access | Men only |
Simonopetra Monastery (Greek: Σιμωνόπετρα, literally: "Simon's Rock"), also Monastery of Simonos Petra (Greek: Μονή Σίμωνος Πέτρας), is an Eastern Orthodox monastery in the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece. Simonopetra ranks thirteenth in the hierarchy of the Athonite monasteries.
The monastery is located in the southern coast of the Athos peninsula, between the Athonite port of Dafni and Osiou Grigoriou monastery. While the southern coast of Athos is quite rugged in general, the particular site upon which the monastery is built is exceptionally harsh. It is built on top of a single huge rock, practically hanging from a cliff 330 metres over the sea. The monastery currently houses 54 monks, and the hegumen is Archimandrite Eliseus.
The monastery was founded during the 13th century by Simon the Athonite, who was later sanctified by the Eastern Orthodox Church as Osios Simon the Myrrohovletes. Tradition holds that Simon, while dwelling in a nearby cave, saw a dream in which the Theotokos instructed him to build a monastery on top of the rock, promising him that she would protect and provide for him and the monastery. The original monastery was called by Simon "New Bethlehem" (Greek: Νέα Βηθλεέμ) and is to this day dedicated to the Nativity of Jesus.
In 1364, the Serbian despot Jovan Uglješa funded the renovation and expansion of the monastery.
Russian pilgrim Isaiah wrote that, by the end of the 15th century, the monastery was Bulgarian.
In 1581, Simonopetra was destroyed by a fire, in which a large portion of the monks died. Evgenios, the monastery's abbot traveled to the Danubian Principalities hoping to raise funds to rebuild the monastery. The most important donor was Michael the Brave, Prince of Wallachia, who donated large portions of land as well as money to the monastery. The monastery was also burnt in 1626, and the last great fire happened in 1891, after which the monastery was rebuilt to its current form.
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