Chapter 1. Constitution of Mount Athos and its Relation to State and Church

Article 1

The holy named Mountain of Athos consists of Twenty Holy, Sovereign, Royal, Patriarchal, and Stavropegial Monasteries, arranged, according to ancient regime, in the following hierarchical order:

1. The Holy Monastery of Megisti Lavra 
2. The Holy Monastery of Vatopedi
3. The Holy Monastery of Iviron
4. The Holy Monastery of Hilandar
5. The Holy Monastery of Dionysiou
6. The Holy Monastery of Koutloumousiou
7. The Holy Monastery of Pantokratoros
8. The Holy Monastery of Xeropotamou
9. The Holy Monastery of Zographou
10. The Holy Monastery of Docheiariou
11. The Holy Monastery of Karakallou
12. The Holy Monastery of Philotheou
13. The Holy Monastery of Simonopetra
14. The Holy Monastery of Saint Paul
15. The Holy Monastery of Stavronikita
16. The Holy Monastery of Xenophontos
17. The Holy Monastery of Grigoriou
18. The Holy Monastery of Esphigmenou
19. The Holy Monastery of Rossikon
20. The Holy Monastery of Konstamonitou.

All other foundations, sketes, kellia, and hesychasteria are dependencies of one of the twenty sovereign monasteries.

Article 2

Apart from the twenty monasteries named above, no other person has property rights on Mount Athos.

Article 3

The increase or reduction in the number of sovereign Holy Monasteries, as well as any alteration of their administrative or hierarchical relations to their dependencies as they have existed for centuries and been en shrined in the present Constitutional Charter are in any case prohibited.

Article 4

None of the holy foundations of Mount Athos may ever renounce its main purpose and be transformed into a secular institution.

Article 5

All monasteries of Mount Athos, being patriarchal and stavropegial, are under the spiritual jurisdiction of the Great Eastern Orthodox Church of Christ, with no commemoration of any name being allowed apart from that of the Ecumenical Patriarch.

Heretics and schismatics may not take up residence on Mount Athos.

Article 6

All monks of any nationality residing on Mount Athos are considered to have acquired Greek citizenship.

Article 7

The justice on Mount Athos shall be administrated by the monasteries’ authorities and the Hiera Koinotis, with the exception of criminal cases, which come under the competent penal courts of the Greek State. They are adjudicated, as always, in Thessaloniki.

Article 8

The representative of the Greek State on Mount Athos is responsible for enforcing the decisions of the monasteries’ authorities and the Hiera Koinotis, as long as these are taken in accordance with the present Con stitutional Charter.

Article 9

The Holy Monasteries of Mount Athos are self-governing. They are administered according to their own internal regulations, voted on by them and approved by the Hiera Koinotis, which supervises the appli cation and normal functioning of the regulation, without contravening the provisions of the present Constitutional Charter.

Article 10

Every decision of the Hiera Koinotis taken within the remit of its author ity, as defined in the present Constitutional Charter shall be respected and be mandatory for the monasteries.

Article 11

T he Hiera Koinotis of Mount Athos, whose rights are specially defined by the present Constitutional Charter, consists of twenty representatives from the Holy Monasteries (one from each). It is situated in Karyes and is a permanent governing body known under the name “Hiera Koinotis of the Holy Mountain of Athos”.

Article 12

Mount Athos enjoys, according to the ancient established customs, special privileges and tax immunities that are clearly set out in the present Constitutional Charter.

Article 13

Responsibility for managing the entire property of each of the Holy Monasteries lies with the monastic brotherhood of each one of them.