The Images of Palestine and Athos in Russia
The article deals with the evidence of the direct historical links of the Russian monastic organization with Athos and convents in Byzantine Palestine. As early as 1016 there existed on Athos the so called Rhos monastery - of St. Theotokos Xylourgou (“Carpenter”) which became later on the Russian monastery of St. Panteleimon. There are mentions of “Russian monasteries” in Palestine both in Russian and in south-Slavonic texts of the 12th c. The tradition of monastic life in Russia starting with Antoniy Pechersky was therefore intimately connected with Athos, as well as with coenobitic institutions in the Holy Land.