History and present days
The official name of the New Skete is “The Nativity of Theotokos”, which is celebrated on September 8. It is the feast that worships the day on which Our Lady was born. However, the place is mostly known as the New Skete, probably because the Old Skete preexisted from 1100 AD, while the New Skete was created in 1750 AD - hence the nickname, even though it now counts 270 years!
The elders of the monastery were facing serious problems regarding the pirates of that time. Thus, in 1150 they asked the Emperor Andronikos Paleologos I to build the tower that exists until today and is the oldest surviving building on the south side of Mount Athos. The tower served as a watchtower, so that when the monk, who was guarding the area, saw a pirate ship approaching, he would ring the bell. Immediately the fathers would gather on the tower. It consists of four floors, each with a fireplace. They would collect hot water and pour it from the scalding pots onto the invading pirates to repel them. However, around 1500 the raids became more numerous and the fathers were forced to take refuge higher up. They were hiding behind the rocks and so after a while they founded a skete right there in the mountain. About two hundred years later, around 1750, the Ottomans - who in the meantime had conquered Greece and all the Asia Minor - managed to stop the pirate raids. The fathers realized they were in no danger and so they returned to the first location, which was now inhabited again as the New Skete.
It consists of twenty sacred huts. They are separated buildings with a common temple, from which they take their name. Together they make up the Skete, which has the same etymology as the word ascetic and means the place of pray and spiritual exercise. The first church of the Skete was the Kyriakon, which unfortunately was demolished due to technical problems. The current church was renovated in 1958 and remains in this form until today.
The Brethren
In all sketes and monasteries of Mount Athos, the 24-hour day is divided into three parts: an eight-hour prayer period, a working period and a period of personal rest.
The vigil is at four in the morning. The fathers get up every day and perform the Midnight Mass, the Orthros and the Divine Liturgy. Then they begin the various craftsmanships which are many and varied. The main vocation is hagiography, incense and some woodcarving. They have vegetable gardens and mules, which are used to carry items for the everyday needs of the monastery. One monk takes over the role of the cook, another one the role of the archondaris, who is the monk who welcomes all pilgrims to the trapeza, and the role of the tailor, who sews the robes and all that are necessary to the brotherhood.
After their everyday work they retire to their cells where they devote themselves to individual prayer. Finally, they rest, to relax their bodies and mind.
