One of the most important relics of Mount Athos is the Gifts offered by the three Magi to the newborn Jesus.
As it is mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew, as soon as the three Magi were informed of the birth of the Messiah, they wanted to meet him, to worship his deity and to offer him everything of value they had.
Their gifts were not just objects of great value but were primarily symbolic. Melchior offered the Divine Child gold as a symbol of His Kingdom. Gaspar offered Him frankincense, as a symbol of His divine hypostasis. Finally, Belshazzar offered myrrh, which was a perfume placed on the tombs and symbolized the Passion and the early death of Jesus.
According to tradition, the Virgin Mary, before her Assumption, gave the Holy Gifts to women living in Jerusalem. They remained there until the year 400, when the Emperor Arcadius transferred them to the capital as a blessing and grace for the faithful Christians of Constantinople. In 1204, after the siege of the Franks, the Gifts were transferred to Nicaea in order to be protected from the conquerors. However, they returned to Constantinople, where they remained until the fall of the capital in 1453.
After the occupation of Constantinople by the Turks and the fall of the Byzantine Empire, the Gifts came into the possession of Maro, the Sultan's wife, who was a Christian. According to the legend, Maro took it upon herself to deliver the precious relic to the Holy Monastery of Saint Paul. As she was walking there, she heard the voice of the Holy Virgin Mary, who informed her of the inaccessible of the Holy Mountain and asked her not to proceed. Maro obeyed the voice and did not enter the monastery. The Gifts of the Magi were handed over to the monks. In fact, in the monastery's archives there is a decree of the Sultan describing the event of the transfer of the sacred relic.
The Gifts are a great blessing. The monks honour them with reverence, as a spiritual treasure that covers and guards their monastic life. The annual feast of the Gifts of the Magi is on the 26th of December.
