Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-02-26

rarely to be equalled in the entire
world
Northernmost, on the western slope
Of the peninsula, is the monastery OF
Konstamonitcs. possibly the Oldest
lof the converts and certainly one Of
the most picturesque. Its red roofs
and incredibly lofty gray walls, win
lowed like most of the convent walls,
only in their upper half. rise from a
ring of Expresses like fairy castle.
Here and there near the top ramparts
of what seem To be those of a fortress,
little bird cages of square bay-win-
dows stick out. uheld by proppins
wooden beams. The monastery was
founded by Constans, son Of Constan-
tine the Great, early in the fifth CEN
fury, no one quite knows when. 1t
still has charter granted 1t by the
Byzantine emperor, Manuel Palaclo-
gus, to which the emperor's signature
is scrawled In red letters, possibly red
ink, possibly the blood of some ami
NAL
Many Converts.
Not far away towards the south is
one Of the most interesting of these
ascetic communities, the Russian con-
vent Of Panteleimon. II was founded
by st. Lazarus Knees of Serbia. but
rebuilt comparatively recently--by the
Empress Catharine | of Russia. For a
long time il was kept only for Rus
SLAMS. but many of those set up little
individual hermitages for themselves
or small colonies dedicated to special
saints, and the Russian convent now
has two churches in one Of which the
service is celebrated In Greek instead
lof the ancient Slavonie which seems to
be the common tongue among the Ser
bans, the Bulgarians and the Russians
on Mt. Athos.
The second convent beyond the Pan
teleimon, perched hiGh on a lofty rock,
is the monastery of Simon Peter
founded by St Simon, the hermit, in
the thirteenth century-almost mod
lern building compared to some of the
others. The slope between its exalted
position and the sea at the foot of the
UNI 10 itiidttA III GttP hitti teNR W
vineyards cultivated with the most
Ipainstaking care---as indeed IL every
lpropitious square foot Of the entire Pc
ninsula.
On the opposite side of the peninsu-
la is the largest Of the twenty con-
vents, that called Laura, a word mean
ing cloister. Founded, according to le-
n,
phorous, it grew in the centuries that
followed to be the largest and tho
richest convent of the entire commun-
'ity. The library is still filled with
manuscripts Of extraordinary antiquity
and value and its treasure chest con-
tains some of the most ancient and
valuable pieces of gold work in exist
ence--one in particular, treptich of
solid, worked gold, foot and half
high, studded with diamonds, rubies.
pearls and emeralds, is peculiarly re-
markable for its barbaric beauty. The
Turks in their occupation Of Mt. Athos
respected this sacred treasure of gold
and precious stones--but they used the
pages Of priceless manuscripts as wad-
ding for their guns.
There are some six thousand monks
and lay brethren on Mt Athos. But
there are no women, nor any female
animal of any kind. not even a chick
on. Women have several times sought
to penetrate within the forbidden
bounds of the peninsula notwithstand-
ing the stringent prohibition against
their presence. They have almost al
ways failed, and their failure has Of
ten been very uncomfortable for them.