Monastery of Vatopedi
Monastery of Vatopedi is one of the 20 self-governing Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Mount Athos. It is ranked second in the Athonite, the hierarchical order of the twenty monasteries on Mount Athos.
About this building
The Monastery of Vatopedi was founded in by monks Athanasius, Nicholas, and Antonius, who were disciples of Athanasius the Athonite. Between the 18th and 20th centuries, numerous extensions were made around the monastery.
The monastery treasures the Cincture of the Theotokos, believed by a large community to be the actual belt that Virgin Mary worn on Earth until she gave it Thomas the Apostle. Vatopedi is also home to a rich library with 2,000 manuscripts and 35,000 printed books. Among the manuscripts, it preserves a 13th-century "Vatopedi Charter" given by Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria to the monastery.
